April 30,
2009 Volume
5, Number 17
In
This Issue
- Marriage
Vows
- Visitors
of the Week
- A Little
Bit of Humor.
E-Mail cynthia.davis@house.mo.gov
Special
Committee on Children and Families
Chair
Chair
Special Committee on State Parks and Waterways
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Congressman
Blaine Luetkemeyer
Love Is in the
Air
April is a special month for our
family. Three of our children were born in April, and this year we
added a new daughter-in-law with an April wedding in Washington, D.C.
With the legislature in session, it was a little tricky fitting a wedding
into our schedule, but when my son informed me of the wedding date, we had to
honor his choice. I tried to explain
to him that we have a rule in this family that nobody is allowed to get
married or have a baby during the Missouri legislative session. He
reminded me that I broke this rule the first session I was in office with the
birth of our youngest child. So, I accepted the lesson and started planning
for a great wedding. The rest of the family drove to Washington, D.C.,
and I flew in after we finished our floor debate for the week.
From
left to right, back row: daughters, Amanda and Cathryn, Bernie, Cynthia,
daughter-in-law Candice, granddaughter Grace, and son Ben. Front row:
daughter Susanna, bride Emily, groom John, and sons Philip and Matthew.
This wedding was special for our
family for many reasons, but there are also many public policy reasons why
our culture needs to support the institution of marriage. I realize
that not all of my readers have the opportunity to be in a happy marriage,
but there are some undeniable truths about marriage that affect what kind of
world in which we all dwell.
In America, marriage has always
been the foundation for the family. While competing factions may try to
prove that marriage is no longer necessary in our culture, there are many
societal reasons why marriage is still at the hub of the wheel:
v
First, hundreds of studies
have shown that children do best when they have both a mother and a
father. Homes where the parents are married have less domestic violence
and sexual abuse. More adults are available
to help with such necessary activities as homework, transportation and meal
preparation.
v
Second, parents who stay
married to each other achieve greater financial ability to accomplish their
goals. The economy of living under the same roof allows the parents to
share their time, money and talents, thereby sparing the taxpayers of some of
the burden they shoulder. Many single parents are supporting
themselves, but the majority of people on America's welfare rolls are single parents.
v
Third, commitment has
value. Stability helps all of us. Keeping your promises is
reflective of how seriously you take other relationships, your job and your
debts. When we honor our vows to forsake all others and stay with our
spouses "'til death do us part," we give stability to our entire
community.
Historians
suggest a variety of reasons why the ancient Roman empire collapsed.
However, one observation is that moral decadence precipitated the decline of
the family. Both paralleled a corresponding breakdown of the culture
until Rome reached a level where its society became unsustainable.
According to author J.D. Unwin, "In human records there is no instance of a
society retaining its energy after a complete new generation has inherited a
tradition which does not insist on pre-nuptial and post-nuptial continence" (quoted in Finding God in Unexpected Places, by Philip
Yancey, Random House, Inc. 2005).
How we
treat our spouses and neighbors has a lot to do with the quality of our
neighborhoods. The quality of our neighborhoods has a lot to do with
our general sense of safety and well-being, and even how much we pay for law
enforcement. Ultimately, our commitment to the institution of marriage
has public policy implications on a grander scale for everyone.
This wedding was distinguished
in that both sets of parents and all four sets of grandparents have stayed
married and are committed to their first and only spouses for the rest of
their lives, now unusual in our society.
Last weekend I attended a church where many children received their First Communion. It was touching to see families walk together to the front of the church. I found it beautiful to see these children with their parents, knowing they will be raised in a home that will teach them the Ten Commandments, how to pray and how to respect authority. The statement demonstrated by their actions was profound. No government will ever have enough money to equal all the benefits generated by the simple concept of a family - starting with a marriage between a man and a woman. If you would like to read more about the benefits of families, click here:
The Many Benefits of Traditional
Marriage and
5 Marriage Myths, 6 Marriage
Benefits
Your
thoughts are important to me, so please let me know what you think about the
value of marriage. You can send me your opinion by clicking here:
Cynthia Davis
Visitors of
the Week
Jackie Schneider (left)
discusses her research project with me while Michael Wyatt (right) looks
on. Schneider and Wyatt were at the State Capitol to showcase their
research projects developed at the University of Missouri. Both are
from the O'Fallon area, and I am very proud of their accomplishments.
A Little Bit
of Humor
While
in Washington D.C. to attend my son's wedding, we took some time to do some
sight seeing, and we met some interesting people .
This Capitol Report is a
weekly column by Representative Cynthia Davis, from the 19th District, covering events in
the Missouri Legislature and district-wide issues.
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