The best way to restore the health of the American family is to teach today's students to become tomorrow's parents.
In a society with high rates of teenage pregnancy, scattered extended families, and diminished community and social support, millions of today's parents simply don't have the skills or the family backup to raise healthy kids. Problems of delinquency, teen pregnancy, adolescent violence, and poor academic performance are the outcomes of poor parenting skills.
That's why, for the past few years, I have served as Chairman of Kids Today; Parents Tomorrow, a non-profit organization of educators, mental health professionals, and concerned citizens. We believe that the best way to restore the health of the American family is to teach today's students to become tomorrow's parents. That's why we supported SB 305 in 1999, requiring parenting education as a condition for graduating form California's high schools. Unfortunately, Gray Davis vetoed that bill, even though it easily passed both houses of the State Legislature. That's one of main reasons that I decided to support the recall and campaign for Governor.
As a former school teacher of many years, I know the value of education. That's why education is a critical part of my campaign. We need to focus on education and not be distracted by wasteful uses of our scarce tax dollars by fighting victimless crimes or pet projects of special interest groups (please read my Crime & Budget Crisis Platform).
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