The traditional family is witnessing a resurgence in popularity. On Thursday nights, half the nation’s television viewers are tuned in to “The Cosby Show” and “Family Ties,” both situation comedies revolving around stable, loving families.
A recent government report endorsed those shows by name, saying they “reinforce family values and teach children personal responsibility and character.” The 64-page report from the White House Working Group on the Family is titled “The Family: Preserving America’s Future.”
The report also outlines ways in which government can support the family. Working group chairman Gary L. Bauer, undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Education, said he wants the report to generate thinking about families among public policymakers. One specific expression of concern for the family, he said, would be to increase the personal income-tax exemption for dependent children to between $4,000 and $5,000. Under the revised 1986 tax reform law, the personal exemption will be raised to $2,000 by 1989.
In addition, the report recommends that policymakers at all levels of government use an eight-point “family fairness statement” to evaluate the effects of government policies. The eight points include effects on household income, marital stability, and parental rights and authority, and the “messages” communicated by government actions concerning the behavior and personal responsibility of young people.
“It is time to reaffirm some ‘home truths’ and to restate the obvious,” the report contends. “Intact families are good. Families who choose to have children are making a desirable decision.… Public policy and the culture in general must support and reaffirm these decisions—not undermine and be hostile to them or send a message that we are neutral.”
U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate committee in charge of family policy, called the report a “smokescreen for failure.… Failed economic policies and harsh budget cuts that hurt the poor mark this administration as the most antifamily administration in modern history.”
However, conservatives welcomed the report’s emphasis. Family Research Council president Jerry Regier praised the report, and noted that government officials may need a strong nudge from the public before they will implement the report’s recommendations.
