•October 14, 2015•

By Jim Nowlan
NP Guest Columnist

Shortly before this week’s deadline my column fell apart, so in its stead (out of mild desperation; can desperation be mild?) I offer below snapshots of important topics with which I am grappling, thus far without success.

Am I on the right path with these topics and very preliminary thoughts? What suggestions might you have for both substance and policy suggestions?

I can be reached at jnowlan3@gmail.com.

The unraveling of the American family. According to Washington policy wonk Isabel Sawhill, 72 percent of black children live in single-parent families, up from 22 percent half a century ago. Half the children in my white rural county were born to unmarried women last year.

Surprising to me in this day of easy availability of birth control options, Sawhill reports that as many as 60 percent of those births were unplanned, and children resulting from unplanned births are less likely later to graduate from college and earn a middle-class income.

As for young males, 20 percent of those with low skills (high school only) are unemployed, and many more are simply dropping out of the workforce, apparently for good.

I could wax on with these kinds of statistics, and they would confirm my point that there is unproductive turmoil among many if not most young, unskilled adults. Read More