It offends me to hear single parents being blamed for society’s failures. Before I begin and in the interests of full disclosure, I have been a single parent; my children are not criminals, they are productive members of society and have children of their own. I thank God every day for His guidance in helping me and I thank my mother for her loving example which made it easier for me to make the choices I had to make in this difficult life.

Now, during WWII many of our brave soldiers gave their lives for our country. The women they left behind very often became some of the first to be called single parents and yet we did not have the problems that we have today. The changes came when entitlements became a default source of income. During a crisis, people need help; but that help should not be a permanent way of life. There should be options for people in need so that they can help themselves. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Welfare benefits remove incentive and as the benefits grow, the ability to become independent is almost impossible. Benefits increase with each additional dependent you claim, so why not keep on having babies and getting raises from the government? These programs foster the illegitimate, fatherless children who become the issues that society eventually must address. Another aspect is the loss of self esteem of the individual who accepts the handout. This is not consciously recognized by the person, but is acted out in self destructive behavior such as drug addiction and alcoholism. And, of course, the welfare money then becomes a means to feed the addictions and the addictions cause neglected children. Understand that this is not always the case but too often it can be.
Another contributing factor is an educational system that fails the students. Money poured into school systems tends to improve the salaries of the school board members and teachers rather than improving the tools needed for the students. The lack of discipline and the absence of God are contributing factors in truancy and failing school grades.
The government has been giving “fish” on a larger and larger scale rather than teaching people how to “fish”. Government’s promise to improve poverty is much like the person who borrows a coin from a companion and throws it into a beggar’s cup. The false bravado of the effort does not really help the beggar but the person who tosses the coin acts as if he has done something admirable. Of course, this is ridiculous and not the answer.
America is full of people who have lifted themselves out of poverty to achieve success. Dr. Ben Carson is the most recent outstanding example. His mother, a single parent, inspired him to excel. Single parents are not the problem; and no amount of money can fix society’s problems.
The welfare system has become a modern form of slavery and the chain to that slavery is an educational system that fails to inspire. If you want to help the impoverished, you must first care about them. The actions of one caring individual can make a difference for hundreds, maybe thousands of people. Need an example? Just look at Dr. Carson’s mom.