National Review editor Rich Lowry, writing in the new issue of TIME on the social implications of the decline of marriage, has a suggestion:
No one wants to be preachy about marriage when everyone knows its inevitable frustrations. (“Marriage is a wonderful institution,” H.L. Mencken said, “but who would want to live in an institution?”) At the very least, though, we should provide the facts about the importance of marriage as a matter of child welfare and economic aspiration. As a society, we have launched highly effective public-education campaigns on much less momentous issues, from smoking to recycling.
It’s not hard to think of a spokeswoman. Michelle Obama is the daughter in a traditional two-parent family and the mother in another one that even her husband’s critics admire. If she took up marriage as a cause, she could ultimately have a much more meaningful impact on the lives of children than she will ever have urging them to do jumping jacks.