You can't have a strong nation without strong marriages and families.
Unfortunately, recent actions by the Biden administration may deal another blow to the institution of marriage.
As CNBC reports, the earned income tax credit (EITC) provides a tax write-off for low- and moderate-income families. Recent changes to the EITC, initiated by the American Rescue Plan, made the tax break available to more families, and President Biden has suggested the changes be made permanent.
But as one expert explains, the proposal contains an income phaseout that causes a "marriage penalty" for some couples.
Policy that penalizes the family is bad policy. Kids do best when they are raised by loving and committed mothers and fathers in two-parent homes. Among other things, and as Dr. James Dobson has written, kids are less likely to be on illegal drugs, to be held back a grade, to drop out of school, to commit suicide, to be in poverty, to become juvenile delinquents, and for the girls, less likely to become teen mothers. They are healthier, both emotionally and physically, even 30 years later than those not so blessed by traditional parents.
The institution of the family is one of the Creator's most marvelous and enduring gifts to humankind. We would do well to protect it!
Marriage must be cherished in our hearts and protected through our actions, both in our capacity as individuals and also through our laws and policies as a nation.