U Penn law prof Amy Wax has a provocative piece in today's WSJ($) on class, sex, and family life. Money quote:
Poor relief and welfare policy, whether strict or lenient, can't rescue disintegrating families. Rather, ... the very opposite is true: Wise behavior can secure economic well-being. Men and women who stick together, stay out of trouble, and work steadily are rarely poor, and their children surmount poverty as well. Public money and policy gimmicks are no substitute for good conduct.
Opinion leaders, meanwhile, continue to tout irresponsible sexual behavior as a mere lifestyle choice and disparage firm standards of conduct. They embrace a misplaced "tolerance" that sees family forms as equivalent and refuses to condemn variants as dysfunctional. The privileged have weathered the moral confusion and protected their children from the worst. At this juncture in our civilization, their outlook is the ultimate act of bad faith. Sexual freedom and political correctness for the advantaged have come at the price of broken families for the vulnerable. Greater inequality is the grim result.
If you've got a subscription go read the whole thing. If not, check OpinionJournal.com this weekend to see if they put it up there. It's worth a read.
