General Discussion

I was one of those progressives who WANTED the teen pregnancy rate to go down. I believed (and still believe) that one of the best ways out of poverty is for young girls (as well as their responsible male partners) is to get an education and some capital so they can get married and THEN have a baby. I SEE NO REASOL WHATSOEVER WHY I SHOULD TURN AROUND AND CHANGE MY MIND.

Working one’s way out of poverty and social mobility USED TO BE part of the American dream, a dream that still ought to ought to be obtainable for ALL young Americans, regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity. That MAGA Republicans and their more moderate. allies have abandoned this trope is yet another betrayal af Americans, particularly young Americans starting on the path to adulthood.



If there were still any moderate Republicans, even Reagan-era Republicans who USED to believe that younger Americans should wait until they were adults before baby-making, I’d call on them to identify and then organize to forcibly sideline each and every ideologue and influencer pushing this obnoxious concept.

Unfortunately it looks like even those Republicans are fading away into irrelevancy just like the Ripon Republicans did a couple of generations ago. Or they
It spines have turned to jelly, which is the same thing.