[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 14 (Thursday, February 6, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           WORLD MARRIAGE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB BARR

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 6, 1997

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is truly amazing how many of the 
problems our country is contending with on a daily basis can be traced 
directly to the disintegration of traditional family values. Rising 
juvenile crime rates, an alarming rise in teen drug usage, and the 
large numbers of people on the welfare rolls are but a few of the 
symptoms of a society that has ceased to elevate to a place of 
importance the traditional family structure. In fact, the problem has 
become so bad that just last year, we in Congress were forced to pass a 
law affirming a basic principle of society that has never before been 
called into question: marriage means the union between one man and one 
woman.
  I applaud World Marriage Day, observed February 9th, as a celebration 
of the traditional family values that have made our country the 
greatest Nation on the face of the earth. The celebration of love and 
mutual commitment between a man and a woman is a welcome sign in a 
world where traditional concepts society are being challenged on a 
daily basis by all types of extremists. I pledge to continue my efforts 
to preserve and protect the institution of marriage, and I thank 
Worldwide Marriage Encounter for all its hard work to preserve an 
institution that is the bedrock of our society, and for reminding all 
of us that some things are far too important to take for granted.

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