Make the World Safe for Children

A few months ago, British commentator Carl Benjamin mentioned something that has stuck with me ever since. He said that the purpose of politics should be to make the world safe for children; not safe spaces but as in creating an environment where they can grow and thrive without their innocence being threatened.

His quote came to my mind again on Thursday afternoon when Sen. Ben Toews and Rep. Julianne Young each spoke passionately and eloquently about the need to celebrate and protect the traditional family in Idaho. The whole event is worth watching:

The debate surrounding most social issues is centered around the pleasure of adults. Should drugs be legalized? Should we change our definition of marriage to include homosexual couples? Should abortion be legal? In all of these cases, the questions that arise are regarding the desires of the adults involved, the extent of their rights, and the impact on society as a whole. Lost in the shuffle are the potential effects on children.

We all agree that children are the future, but we often don’t act like it. Many leftists see children as foot soldiers in their eternal revolution, looking to grab kids as young as kindergarten and use them to promulgate their message at the cost of their innocence. Many on the right simply assume their children will turn out fine despite sending them to public schools and allowing them to be immersed in modern culture.

Human tradition, scientific studies, and our own intuition all agree that children thrive best when raised in a stable home with a father and a mother, yet we’ve structured society to incentivize the opposite. No-fault divorce makes separation easy, and child support cash is seen as a suitable substitute for having a loving father in the home. Welfare programs practically demand broken families, driving the breakdown of the nuclear family in the lower classes. The promotion of alternative lifestyles, from homosexuality to transgenderism, pours acid on the foundation of our civilization, which is the family.

Too often, conservatives simply react to the latest leftist outrage. Like William F. Buckley, we see our role as standing athwart history yelling “stop” but we lack the positive message that people are seeking. Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has said that the biggest problem facing America today is that we have an identity crisis — we don’t know what it means to be Americans, or conservatives, or Christians, or whatever banner we march behind. That is why I was so excited to hear about the work of Sen. Toews and Rep. Young. They are crafting a positive message, a vision for what our society can be for the next generations.

Toews shared the Traditional Family Resolution that he is working on this year. He will be introducing it in the Legislature soon, but for now you can check out his website tradfam.org. Toews said he wants to see events throughout the state from Mother’s Day through Father’s Day that celebrate the traditional family. Consider it a wholesome alternative to the usual debauchery of “pride” events each summer.

Young shared her own endeavor, a new nonprofit called Idaho Family Strong. This organization seeks to inform voters, especially parents, about potential legislation that can impact the family:

I urge all my readers to check out both the Traditional Family Resolution and Idaho Family Strong. Sign up for their mailing lists to see how you can help support the rights of Idaho’s children to grow up in an environment where they are kept safe from the monsters that would devour their souls.

The future depends on it.

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