Much has been said concerning the institution of marriage this past few years. Elements of our society have been trying their best to redefine marriage. Every American tradition associated with raising a family has been questioned by some group or another. Some feel the rules concerning marriage and family have changed because our society has taken progressive leaps beyond any society the world has ever known. Others feel we are losing touch with the time-tested wisdom of our fathers and the tradition this great nation was founded upon.
Every great empire in history has made progress, peaked, and then began to decline before eventually being replaced by another. Some of these great societies stayed on top for thousands of years. Others lasted only a few hundred years before crashing back down to third-world status. The USSR was a major world power just a few years ago. Now, the Great Bear has been replaced by a dozen small nations with little power. It is hard to hold onto power. One false move and it shifts into the hands of another.
A society that progresses too far in one direction or another may tip the scales and end up falling flat on its face. A balance between liberal notions and conservative ideals must be kept. Moving too fast in one direction can be a mistake.
Is our great nation experiencing progress in the realm of family or is our nation’s foundation being challenged? Are we going too far in one direction? Have we moved past progress to the edge of reason?
The divorce rates started to skyrocket in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, the popular media would have us believe that 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. The truth is that the overall divorce rates abruptly stopped going up around 1980. Last year, Dr. Andrew J. Cherlin, professor of public policy in the sociology department at Johns Hopkins University, explained that the crude divorce rate has actually been going down. “Whether the rates will ultimately reach 45 percent or 50 percent over the next few decades are just projections. None of them are ironclad.”
What is certain is that divorce is now an accepted part of everyday life in America. Everyone knows a divorced couple. Some of our friends and family members may have divorced a number of times. When Mormons speak of polygamy, they are speaking of having five or six wives at once. The rest of America laughs at this notion. Meanwhile, many Americans have five or six wives — only, one at a time.
The impact high divorce rates have had on our nation has been felt most by our children. These days, it seems as though everything the child needs comes in a distant second to what the parent wants. The child is carted back and forth from parent to parent. The child is used as a bargaining chip. The child is sometimes cast aside along with the spouse as one parent seeks out a more “fulfilling” life. The child’s needs are not put first and in many cases the child’s needs aren’t even considered.
Another factor affecting the quality of life for our children is the rapidly rising percentage of unwed mothers. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics recently released a report revealing that 35.7 percent of all births were to unmarried women. That translates to about 1.5 million children each year. Nearly three in 10 births to women ages 25 to 29 were to unmarried mothers.
Children in single-parent homes often grow up with half the resources that would have been available to them in a traditional family unit. They often have half the parenting they would have had in a traditional family unit. Grandparents, aunts and uncles might carry some of the load. The government might carry some of the financial burden. The bottom line is that these children have one parent when they should have had two.
Now, homosexuals have come along and asked for the right to marry. Though such a marriage would include two incomes and two parents, there is still something missing. No two mothers can be a father and no two fathers can be a mother.
Marriage is about family and family is about children. The next generation is going to deal with a number of problems that this one is creating for it. The lack of ability this generation seems to have in making sacrifices for its children is going to leave the next generation with a mess none other has ever faced. It’s time we started taking some responsibility for the future of this nation. It’s time we started showing a little respect for the traditions and the wisdom of our fathers as well as the welfare of our children.
The WWII generation didn’t leave America with the crisis this generation is handing its children. They provided stability, they acted as courageous examples, and they made sacrifices so the next generation could prosper. For our current leaders to take the prosperity the previous generations worked for and the freedom those generations fought for and use them as devices to destroy the means those generations used to deliver them to us — the traditional family unit — will ensure our failure to deliver them to the next generation.
Keep America strong by respecting the foundations our great nation was built upon. Respect the traditional family unit. Treasure the lives of your children above your own. Sacrifice for them. Provide for them the best possible future.
Pete Chalos, a longtime teacher, coach and public servant in Vigo County, was mayor of Terre Haute for 16 years. Send e-mail to pchalos@netscape.com.
Pete Chalos
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May 24, 2006
Pete Chalos: Traditional family unit has served America well
- Pete Chalos
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- Pete Chalos: Fluoridation removal should be on local agenda Last year, 11 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employee unions, representing over 7,000 environmental and public health professionals, called for a moratorium on drinking water fluoridation programs across the country. I wrote a two-part commentary exploring the evidence that inspired the letter these professionals sent to the U.S. Congress.
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Pete Chalos: Traditional family unit has served America well
Much has been said concerning the institution of marriage this past few years. Elements of our society have been trying their best to redefine marriage. Every American tradition associated with raising a family has been questioned by some group or another. Some feel the rules concerning marriage and family have changed because our society has taken progressive leaps beyond any society the world has ever known. Others feel we are losing touch with the time-tested wisdom of our fathers and the tradition this great nation was founded upon.
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Pete Chalos: Never too soon to pay attention to 2008 election
The next presidential election is already a hot topic of discussion in the press and we aren’t even close to the election year yet. Everyone is interested in finding out which candidate will have an edge come 2008.
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Pete Chalos: Community needs leadership from best and brightest
What does it take to win an election? Last week, we saw the climax of months of hard work and well-organized campaigning. Some candidates had been preparing to run for several months or even a few years. Spouses, children, family, friends and colleagues had been organizing, recruiting and promoting before most voters were even aware an election was coming up. It takes a lot of time and effort and a great deal of commitment to win an election.
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Pete Chalos: A community must invest in itself to improve itself
This month, the Terre Haute City Council voted in favor of the proposed tax increment finance (TIF) district on Indiana 46, passing it 6-3. Council members Jim Chalos, Rich Dunkin, Chuck Miles, Todd Nation, Shelva Warner and Cliff Lambert voted for the resolution.
This evening, the Vigo County Redevelopment Commission is going to conduct a public hearing concerning the details of the resolution, outlining the specifics. Upon their confirmation, the resolution will go back to the Terre Haute City Council for adoption on May 11. -
Pete Chalos: In Iraq, we must get job done, then get out
You can call it what you want to call it but what is happening right now in the country of Iraq is a civil war. Fancy words like “insurgency” aren’t fooling anyone. You’ve got two sides fighting over the fate of a country. That is a civil war.
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Pete Chalos: America must maintain high standards of immigration
My father John Chalos arrived from Greece at Ellis Island in 1910 for the purpose of working in Seattle. He ended up losing his ticket while the train was stopped in Terre Haute.
- Pete Chalos: Your vote counts in numerous and hidden ways
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Pete Chalos: State has moved too quickly on Major Moves initiative
The reason the government builds fire stations, roads, sidewalks and parks is to accommodate the general public. No single private citizen can afford to build all of these facilities on his own so we all chip in and pay taxes. As a result, we all end up benefiting from the use of the facilities. Government facilities are built for the public and they belong to the public. That’s the basic premise of a tax-supported Democratic society. Government by the people and for the people.
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Pete Chalos: City’s leaders, citizens must be willing to support progress
We live in an extremely competitive society. From early childhood, we are taught the difference between winning and losing. In some families, more time is spent learning the difference between winning and losing than the difference between right and wrong.
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Pete Chalos: The future of elderly care in America
This past month, my family and I have been reviewing all available options for the future care of me and my wife Ulla. At 78 years old, I am finding that I can no longer take care of myself and my wife the way I once could. In truth, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been able to do so on my own, but learning to accept and admit it has been a difficult process.
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Pete Chalos: China poised to become next big economic, military power
“If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition onto the target zone on China’s territory, I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons. … If the Americans are determined to interfere, we will be determined to respond. … We Chinese will prepare ourselves for the destruction of all of the cities east of Xian. Of course, the Americans will have to be prepared that hundreds of cities will be destroyed by the Chinese.”
This statement was made a few months ago to members of the press by General Zhu Chenghu of the People’s Liberation Army, also a professor at China’s National Defense University, concerning U.S. opposition to China’s threats to invade Taiwan. -
Pete Chalos: Women’s basketball flourishing in the Valley
This month, the ISU women’s basketball team recorded its 18th straight win. The victory also marked the milestone 100th career win for ISU women’s head coach Jim Wiedie. He and Edith Godleski are the only two women’s basketball coaches to achieve that mark in ISU history. Local golf enthusiasts may remember Edith from her impressive record in local golf tournaments.
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Pete Chalos: Lack of opportunity raises concerns for future
Over the years, I have been invited to speak to numerous service groups, church groups and political organizations within the community of Terre Haute. After sharing a few of my own thoughts and ideas, I always take the opportunity to answer questions from the crowd. I look forward to these question and answer sessions. In fact, it’s my favorite part of the meeting.
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Pete Chalos: Diligent oversight of utilities an important mission
At the end of January, ExxonMobil Corp. revealed record-breaking profits, the highest quarterly profits ever reported by a public company in the history of America. Exxon’s annual profit was $36.13 billion. That’s a 42 percent rise since last year.
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Pete Chalos: Major Moves plan could be major disaster for Indiana
The governor is at it again. First, he closed down license branches in rural areas, forcing many Indiana citizens to take a day off from work and drive long distances in order to get anything done concerning their license or picture identification (which he made a requirement for voter registration). Then he established an Inspector General to act as his own personal prosecutor (along with a staff of lawyers in every Indiana county). Then he crammed his plan for daylight-saving time down our throats.
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Pete Chalos: Use baseball classic to unite us, not further divide us
No sound is more exciting than the crack of a baseball bat hitting the ball. It’s quite an experience to watch your favorite team score that winning run in the bottom of the ninth or pull off a double-play to ensure their victory. The crowd roars and stands to its feet.
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Pete Chalos: This nation needs purpose, trusted leaders to show the way
Just like individuals, nations need goals. In the 29th chapter of the book of Proverbs it is written, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” In the absence of a unified sense of purpose, progress is replaced with unrest. Like any nation, America needs a national vision, a national direction and national goals.
- Don’t get duped, be skeptical and ask smart questions
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Jennifer Lawrence Gets Naked and Painted Blue as X-Men's Mystique
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
