http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/2010/07/30/david-brooks-vs-paul-ryan/ Politics and policy from inside Washington Sun, 07 Apr 2013 21:23:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/2010/07/30/david-brooks-vs-paul-ryan/comment-page-1/#comment-8585 cwillia11 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:39:55 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/?p=4263#comment-8585 Strong families increase the risk tolerance of individuals. Conversely, as traditional family life deteriorates, people turn to the nanny state for support. Causation goes in both directions. Any policy that strengthens the family increases support for the Ryan program. Shrinking the role of government in people's lives strengthens family bonds. The "secure social order" that "heroic bourgeois families" seek is not the welfare state. It is the social conservative agenda: a legal framework for marriage that preserves families, schools that teach traditional values, government restrictions on pornography and the like. Strong families increase the risk tolerance of individuals. Conversely, as traditional family life deteriorates, people turn to the nanny state for support. Causation goes in both directions. Any policy that strengthens the family increases support for the Ryan program. Shrinking the role of government in people’s lives strengthens family bonds. The “secure social order” that “heroic bourgeois families” seek is not the welfare state. It is the social conservative agenda: a legal framework for marriage that preserves families, schools that teach traditional values, government restrictions on pornography and the like.

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