`yaacobi' Presents Lives In A Cabaret

Wednesday, February 15, 1995 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 8A 





`Tough love' and paternal responsibility, not quick fixes, are needed &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It seems that every time I turn on the radio or the television I witness
political debates involving ways to solve the welfare problemA while ago I was
watching a special presentation about welfare that aired on CNN. One issue
included denying federal aid to teenagers and young people having babies.
Instead, they would be given the option of giving the infants to adoption
agencies or foster homes (hence, reintroducing the "foster home era"). The
federal aid being denied them would then be redistributed to individual states
for the states to determine where the money should go. Opposition was
immediately generated, claiming that such actions would intefere with the bond
that a mother and a child create during the early stages of the child's
development: to deny benefits to the mother would make a victim of the child. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; My initial reaction to this argument was frustration. Sometimes we need to
implement a solution that is the lesser of two evils. Not every solution to a
problem is going to satisfy all facets of it. There will be victims, and there
will be survivors. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Although we would like to see a win-win situation, it is not always
realistic. In a country that is so divided and bitter, policy makers must
understand that something needs to be done now --not 10 or 20 years down the
road when people have begun taking matters into their own hands. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I would rather live to see children affected now than have women continuing
to believe that even if th~ey make a mistake or do not think before they act,
that someone will be there to give them a hand-out or a freebie. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Perhaps we should employ "tough love": if a person realizes that welfare is
not an option, that person might think twice before acting. We cannot continue
to create and maintain safety cushions for acts of selfishness,
irresponsibility and negligence. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I was raised with the understanding that I make choices and am ultimately
responsible for my behavior. I do believe, however, that it takes two people
to create a situation where a child is involved. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Why not locate the fathers who have run off or walked away from these
children? Deduct child-support payments from their paychecks. Report them to
credit agencies and make it difficult for them to obtain a $10 loan, much less
buy a car or a home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I find it interesting that when acts of domestic violence and unplanned
pregnancies occur, there are many programs for women, but rarely does society
ever get to the root of the problem and institute programs for men. Perhaps
that is why domestic violence continues to occur every few seconds and why we
still cannot curb unplanned pregnancies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lisa Manganello &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`tough Love' And Paternal Responsibility, Not Quick Fixes, Are Needed 
It Seems That Every Time I Turn On The Radio Or The Television I Witness 
Political Debates Involving Ways To Solve The Welfare Problem.

`tough Love' And Paternal Responsibility, Not Quick Fixes, Are Needed It Seems That Every Time I Turn On The Radio Or The Television I Witness Political Debates Involving Ways To Solve The Welfare Problem.