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Obama unveils plan for Strengthening Families in a New Economy

On Friday Barack Obama spoke in Spartanburg, SC about his plan to make it easier for parents to raise healthy families.  The speech was given in recognition of Father's Day (this Sunday), but the struggles it addresses  - and the solutions he proposes - are relevant to anyone involved in raising a child.  

I think this is very important, the James Dobson's of the world think they are "focusing on the family" but hate is not a family value and I think  Obama has created out a great alternative plan to the current right wing "family" people. Like Newtie Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani, who have had 3 wives. I think it's been something we on the left have stayed away from, just like Edwards taking on the GWOT, terrorism and real national security.

He identified four challenges and spoke about how to overcome them:

1. Promoting responsible fatherhood

"As President, I'll start by passing the plan I outlined last year that would make it easier for fathers who make the responsible choice and harder for those who avoid it.  It's a plan that would remove some of the financial penalties the government currently imposes on married couples, cut out the red tape to ensure that every dime of child support goes directly to children instead of bureaucrats, and provide fathers who are paying their child support an even larger EITC benefit.  This plan would also crack down on those who avoid their responsibility by increasing child-support enforcement, a measure that will collect nearly $13 billion in payments that can help raise, nurture, and educate children."

2. Supporting Parents with Young Children.

"We should also help new mothers with their new responsibilities.  There is a pioneering Nurse-Family Partnership program right now that offers home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income mothers and mothers-to-be.  They learn how to care for themselves before the baby is born and what to do after.  They are counseled on substance abuse, creating and achieving personal goals, and effective methods of nurturing children.

Where it's been tried, this program reduced childhood injuries and unintended pregnancies, increased father involvement and women's employment, reduced use of welfare and food stamps, and increased children's school readiness. And it produced more than $28,000 in net savings for every high-risk family enrolled in the program.  As President, I will expand the Nurse-Family Partnership to provide at-home nurse visits for up to 570,000 first-time mothers each year. "

3. Making sure everyone who is willing to work can find a job

"For those Americans who have been searching unsuccessfully for employment, I will invest $50 million in programs that will place willing workers into transitional jobs and train them for permanent ones.

           These programs have already proven to be highly successful in the many communities that have tried them.  People get the chance to work in a community service-type job, earn a paycheck every week, and learn the skills they need for gainful employment.  And by leaving with references and a resume, often times they find that employment.

Still, even for those workers who do find a permanent job, many times there is no way for them to advance their careers once they're in those jobs.  That's why we'll also work with community organizations and businesses to create career pathways that provide workers with the additional skills and training they need to earn more money and keep climbing up that ladder to middle-class security.  Unions and various communities have done this quite successfully, and this program would build on that model."

IV. Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit

"One of the most successful anti-poverty programs in history has been the Earned Income Tax Credit - additional income that lifts nearly 5 million Americans out of poverty every year.  As President, I will double the number of single workers who receive the EITC and triple the benefit for full-time workers making the minimum wage, from the $175 they get today to $555.

And instead of waiting every ten years for Congress to fight over raising the minimum wage, I will finally make the minimum wage a living wage by permanently indexing it to inflation so that it actually pays the bills."

Read the whole speech and watch the video here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/s cfamilies