[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 23, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1364-E1365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          WANTED: GOOD FATHERS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 1999

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, fill it out, send it in. You never know. 
My dad's advice about junk-mail sweepstakes never led to any prize 
money, but I'm still cashing in on his simple lessons of life.
  My brother, sister and I received many pearls of wisdom: Practice 
makes perfect. Stand attentive when the flag is raised. Respect your 
elders. Speak the truth. Fight the good fight, finish the race, keep 
the faith. Wait until you're married, and above all, never, ever wear 
street shoes on a gym floor (he taught physical education).
  A public school teacher, he worked two jobs to put us through 
Catholic schools. No television or friends were permitted until 
homework was complete. ``D's'' were forbidden. ``C's'' warranted 
serious discussion. ``B's'' meant we could do better. ``A's'' were 
expected.
  We had a big vegetable garden. Most summer evenings were spent 
pulling weeds, snapping beans, turning compost and listening to Dad's 
boyhood stories, like the one about his missing index finger, a camping 
trip, and an errant hatchet.
  I can recall each encounter with Betsy, my Dad's paddle. ``Bend over. 
This hurts me more than it hurts you.'' I never made the same mistake 
twice. Right and wrong were absolute.
  American can't survive without dads like mine. Confronted with the 
recent horrifying news accounts of youth violence and broader moral 
indifference, the importance of devoted fathers couldn't be more 
apparent. June 20th was Father's Day, and this year's observance 
compels more reflection than ever.
  Any sensible American, especially in the wake of April's Columbine 
massacre, has to be concerned about the status of our nation's youth. 
Children bereft of a fully engaged father suffer perilous disadvantage.
  The magnitude of the anomaly shouldn't surprise anyone. Clerics and 
social scientists have long warned of the debilitating trends 
associated with divorce and single-parent households. Few families 
overcome the dysfunction of children disconnected from their fathers.
  The cost is enormous. Seventy percent of men in prison, and an equal 
percentage of juveniles in long-term detention facilities, grew

[[Page E1365]]

up in fatherless homes. Children living without a father are more 
likely to have trouble in school, become an unwed parent or involved 
with gangs or drugs.
  Nor are girls immune. Girls whose parents divorce may grow up 
deprived not experiencing the day-to-day interaction with an attentive, 
caring and loving adult man. A University of Michigan study of such 
girls concluded, ``* * * parental divorce has been associated with 
lower self-esteem, precocious sexual activity, greater delinquent-like 
behavior, and more difficulty establishing gratifying, lasting adult 
heterosexual relationships.''
  In Colorado, children in single-parent families are nearly five times 
more likely to be poor than children in two-parent families. Over 
eighteen percent of Colorado's children do not live with their fathers.
  Coupled with powerful destructive trends and obsessions, today's 
children are bombarded with evil temptations placing fatherless 
children at grave risk. Our society's preoccupation with death, sex, 
and instant gratification has led to a culture in decay trivializing 
human life itself, degrading the dignity of the human person, and 
leaving children most vulnerable.
  There is still, however, abundant cause for optimism in the legions 
of great American fathers like mine. Those faithfully accepting the 
responsibility of fatherhood earn our respect and praise as heroes in 
today's culture war.
  Truly, genuine fathers regard all children as gifts from God. 
Children are the sacred living outward expression of conjugal love 
between men and women.
  Relying equivalently upon their mothers, all children deserve devoted 
fathers who strive to raise their children in God's likeness. 
Accordingly, all devoted fathers deserve our profound admiration on 
Fathers Day and every day.
  May God bestow His richest blessings upon them all.

                          ____________________