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Single women could usher in big government
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | December 8, 2007 | Jim Wooten

Posted on 02/08/2008 12:52:43 AM PST by a_chronic_whiner

Two trends bedevil America. One is taxes. The second, more important, is marriage.

Those who pay no taxes have no check on their appetite for services. If somebody else is paying, nothing’s unaffordable.

At the federal level, 41 percent of the U.S. population is totally outside the income tax system, according to the Washington-based Tax Foundation. Since 2000, the number of filers with no tax liability, zero, has increased from 29 million to 42 million in 2005. Of 132.6 million returns filed in 2005, only 90.6 million paid taxes. The rest got back all they’d paid in — and more.

The second and more important concern, largely because of its impact on children, is the rise of single-parent households. Over the past 25 years, the percentage has grown from a quarter to a third. In Georgia, 35 percent of children live in single-parent homes and 39.2 percent of births in 2004 were to unmarried women, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Almost 70 percent of black children, almost half of Hispanic and a quarter of white children are born to unmarried women.

The liberal polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research singled out unmarried women and their potential impact on future elections. What it found should chill the spines of those who wish to reverse, or even slow, the growth of government — not so much because of its cost, but because Big Government steals the initiative and enterprise and independence of its wards.

“Because of the often stark economic reality of a single-income family, they [unmarried women] support an active government that will give all Americans a chance to get ahead, not just the affluent,” the organization reported.

As the nation discovered decades ago with welfare policies that pushed men out of the lives of poor women, except for procreation, women who previously found security in marriage turned instead to government. As Greenberg Quinlan Rosner find, unmarried women are a rich vein to be mined by Democrats. From its findings:

• “Marital status is playing an increasingly defining role in elections. For the 2006 congressional elections, the ‘marriage gap’ was 32 points, far bigger than the gender gap, which was just 9 points. Among women, the marriage gap was an even bigger 36 points … unmarried women tend to vote like other unmarried women, regardless of other powerful demographic variables such as age, income and education.”

• “Unmarried women are easily the largest segment of the Democratic base — bigger than Hispanics and African Americans combined.” And the second most loyal, second only to blacks. They favor Democrats over Republicans by a 70-24 margin, and Hillary Clinton over Rudy Giuliani by 66-30.

• “From 1960 to 2006, the percentage of the voting age population that was unmarried grew from 27 to 45 percent … If this trend continues, the unmarried will be a majority of the population within 15 years.”

• Their top economic concern is health care. “This group strongly supports fundamental reform to provide universal coverage that can never be taken away.”

• “In total, there are over 53 million unmarried women of voting age, a number that dwarfs the percentage of seniors, people of color and even union members.” Of those who voted in 2006, two-thirds chose Democrats. Some 20 million, however, did not vote. That’s 41 percent of the unmarrieds. Among the married, it was 29 percent. But “2008 could be very different if progressives see the opportunity before them.” Unmarried women “emerge as the largest contributor to the Democratic vote in 2008.”

Greenberg Quinlan Rosner views them as the “Democrats’ evangelicals.” opining that “if progressives turn them out, unmarried women can be as important to Democrats in 2008 as evangelicals were to Republicans in 2004.”

Combine the two: fewer people who pay taxes and a growing bloc of women who rely on government for their financial security and their household’s well-being.

The challenge for the nation is to rebuild the traditional two-parent family — primarily for the sake of children, but also as a balance to more and bigger government.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; democratparty; elections; government; hillarycare; moralabsolutes; nannystate; single; taxes; unmarriedwomen; wimmenrscary; women; womensvote
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To: flaglady47
Lots of men don’t want to get married anymore because it’s easier to live the single life, or have the milk without having to buy the cow.

You are bit behind the times. Young women these days are as eager to give the milk away for free as the men are to get it.

The old idea you describe of men as sort of alley cats going around trying to get women to have sex with them, whereas the women are having sex with these men hoping these men will want to marry them, just isn't the predominant way it works anymore for a very large part of young people. Sexual attitudes of women have now fully caught up with those of men. Young women nowadays see sex as recreation just as much as young men do, and place as little value on marriage as the men. The only difference comes when the "biological clock" has struck, and women want babies. For a large part of these women they want the babies, not the husband, and they don't really need a husband, anyway.

41 posted on 02/08/2008 2:26:47 AM PST by SirJohnBarleycorn
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To: Caipirabob
"I want socialist healthcare! How come you never give me socialist healthcare? I work day and night to come home and look beautiful for you and all you can talk about is the 1st and 2nd Amendment! Talk, talk, talk...shoot,shoot,shoot...What about my right to choose? Who cares if I never get an abortion! It's my body and if I choose to murder and infant, I want the goverment to pay for it! Why can't the goverment get socialist security fixed! I want socialist security! If I choose to dump you because you won't do everything I want you to do, and all I want is for you to be perfect in the image of God, then I want the government to pay for me when I leave your sorry tail and don't have proper education,experience or a job! It should also pay for my vacations, trips to the mall and my elective liposuction so I can shed those unwanted 50 lbs from the backside of my arms! Why aren't you listening to me?!?!"

Margaret? Izzat you?

42 posted on 02/08/2008 2:29:57 AM PST by null and void (President Hillary!™ Clinton? Time to invest in body bags. Again...)
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To: SirJohnBarleycorn

Ahh, The temptations of Eve.

Very well written piece. I don’t think the debate of who is to blame will ever end as long as there are men and women. It gives me headache trying to analyze it logically (I’ve come to the conclusion that it can’t be done unless you’re God). All there is to do is love and comfort each other best we can.

What is true though is that human nature will lead single mothers to turn to government for a safety net and politically, Democrats are the one who offer them such. It is inevitable.


43 posted on 02/08/2008 2:30:41 AM PST by a_chronic_whiner
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To: Caipirabob

Niiiiice. Fortunately, I married much better than that.


44 posted on 02/08/2008 2:34:13 AM PST by CitizenUSA (Member of CRAM - Conservative Resigned to Accept McCain)
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To: a_chronic_whiner
•

What is this and how do I make one?

45 posted on 02/08/2008 2:36:57 AM PST by nygoose
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To: familyop
Bernard is good at showing us how sad the situation is while injecting enough humor to keep readers from turning away.

agreed.

46 posted on 02/08/2008 2:38:08 AM PST by SirJohnBarleycorn
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To: nygoose

Spell check will do that for you at random.

That’s what it thinks a bullet • looks like...


47 posted on 02/08/2008 2:45:43 AM PST by null and void (President Hillary!™ Clinton? Time to invest in body bags. Again...)
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To: SirJohnBarleycorn
Not to put too fine a point on it, but, we're the ones getting milked...
48 posted on 02/08/2008 2:46:46 AM PST by null and void (President Hillary!™ Clinton? Time to invest in body bags. Again...)
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To: nygoose

beats me (scratching head).

I only do copy + paste.

I’m sure someone who knows will come along shortly.


49 posted on 02/08/2008 3:07:29 AM PST by a_chronic_whiner
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To: a_chronic_whiner
This article poses the fundamental problem that no one seems to know how to address.

Is it even possible to sell conservatism anymore? We have well over half the people in this country who are taking government welfare in one form or another. How is it even possible to sell the idea of cutting government spending when the majority of the voting population is a big beneficiary of it?

50 posted on 02/08/2008 4:00:51 AM PST by pnh102
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To: flaglady47

“It is still women who primarily want to make a marriage work and try to stick it out, and men who stray to greener pastures. “

Baloney.

Stats show that 70% of the time it is women who file for divorce. And the majority of those are for “irreconcilable differences”, not marital infidelity.

Your anecdotal or personal data might be different from that but those are the facts.


51 posted on 02/08/2008 4:13:47 AM PST by webstersII
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To: flaglady47
“Not saying it doesn’t happen, but the dumped man who did no wrong is a rare species in the scheme of things.”

Actually, it takes two to make a marriage, and two to make a divorce. There are selfish immature men, and there are selfish immature women. There are many, many ways to leave a marriage. Withdrawing emotional support and giving your best to your friends rather than your spouse is another form of ‘cheating’. I’m sure I’ll catch flack for saying that, but it’s true.

Marriage is a commitment that absolutely requires fidelity, but that commitment goes well beyond the narrow definition of fidelity. It’s not about cooking, or cleaning, or bringing home the paycheck either. Those are just parts of life that you have to do whether you are married or not. It’s about loving and respecting someone with all your heart, and being there for them emotionally when they need you. From where I sit, men and women fail at this at equal rates.

52 posted on 02/08/2008 4:14:34 AM PST by pieceofthepuzzle
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To: a_chronic_whiner
Mrs. Clinton Discovers Women with Needs
53 posted on 02/08/2008 4:16:35 AM PST by mewzilla (In politics the middle way is none at all. John Adams)
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To: flaglady47

“Not saying it doesn’t happen, but the dumped man who did no wrong is a rare species in the scheme of things.”

That’s right. Don’t let an annoying little thing like facts get in the way of your opinion.


54 posted on 02/08/2008 4:17:12 AM PST by webstersII
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To: flaglady47; All
“That’s bull...source, please?” So many of the women I know, through a lifetime of working with female colleagues, and with family members, and with female friends. I’ve heard it all. My friends used to say I was like Dear Abby because everyone always seems to tell me there life’s tale (I’m a good listener). And I’m older now, so this has been years’ worth of listening and observing. Anyhow, you know it’s true. You must be a man and therefore a bit testy and defensive, but look at the history of men in marriages and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what goes down. So in other words you have no source, only misandry...NEXT!
55 posted on 02/08/2008 4:18:31 AM PST by notdownwidems (Shellback, pollywogs! 1980)
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To: flaglady47; bshomoic

Not correct. Infidelity, spousal abuse and financial impropriety are a factor in a relatively few divorces.

Women initiate most of the divorce claims and there is no reason other than “I’m not getting out of it what I thought”. So a guy who did nothing but stay faithful, bring his paycheck home, pay the bills and keep the house in good repair ends up losing his kids and most of his money including an obligation to pay for most of his adult life.


56 posted on 02/08/2008 4:20:43 AM PST by Locomotive Breath
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To: flaglady47
Divorced women with children replace the gov’t for their erstwhile spouse.

That is a very profound observation. If you are saying that divorced women replace their spouses with government? This is what they are taught or more accurately, what they have been indoctrinated to think and do. The more reliance on government the more socialism will flourish. Was that not the plan? Strong men of character and honor, who are self-reliant, are the natural enemy of American Socialism, that is no longer, just creeping.

57 posted on 02/08/2008 4:32:02 AM PST by WildcatClan (The epitome of irony is that few entities exist, less common, than common-sense.)
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To: null and void

Thanks. I see it often and it’s “comforting” to know how it happens.


58 posted on 02/08/2008 4:32:06 AM PST by nygoose
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To: DoughtyOne

And don’t forget the important link that the Nanny State gets its funds from the tax base...which consists largely of men.

So, the way to look at this accurately is that women grew so furious at being ‘subservient’ and ‘oppressed’ that they revolted against depending upon me so that they could become dependent upon middlemen.


59 posted on 02/08/2008 4:34:40 AM PST by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (If Hillary is elected, her legacy will be telling the American people: Better put some ice on that.)
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To: bshomoic

Most women believe they deserve someone better that their dolt husband. Hence the no-fault divorce.


60 posted on 02/08/2008 4:35:04 AM PST by nygoose
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