You choose to attempt to put words in my mouth yet do not argue with any of the points made. It’s the difference between a propensity and an absolute. At no point did I ever say that “all” single kids/parents are bad/ a drain on society. Just that the odds are stacked against them, and that, in general, children of single parents are going to consume more social benefits – which is indisputably true. My singular point and inquiry from the beginning, if you read the comments, was merely an inquiry into the role that single-parenthood plays in poverty/taxation locally. It’s a legitimate question. No one is saying that you are a bad person for being a single/unmarried parent – my sister is for god’s sake. Now, you may be a bad person for other reasons, I don’t know. You certainly are angry. The point is that children of single parents start out in the hole and that society, as recommended by the State Report, needs to focus on solving this problem by doing more than just “diversity training.”

In addition, I am not single by choice. My devotedly Catholic, senior partner in a law firm ex first decided to have unprotected, pre-marital sex with a heathen (non- Catholic) and when she turned up pregnant, refused to marry her. At the first chance he had, he traded her (and the little girl) in on a younger model and also impregnated her but has since married that one. He refuses to go to court and refuses to pay a pre-calculated amount of child support based upon the law and I cannot pay my f-ing taxes AND sue him too. So put that in your Christian, statistical pipe and smoke it. The next time you go insulting someone and accusing them of being a sterotypical statistic, you should THINK about the fact that we are PEOPLE behind these screen names and stick to the issue (which was property taxes) and not insult and entire group of people about whom you know nothing. I’m sure that you aren’t the person I think YOU are right now either.
I wouldn’t have acceptaed an appology from you even had you offered one.

I am not sorry if you are offended, although I cannot say I’m surprised. Thin skin and shouting seem to be all the rage at the moment.

Anyone paying attention knows that fatherless homes are one of the largest blights on society at this point – that’s a fact, not a stereotype.

You are very informed you say, and yet in the same breath you ask what does fatherhood have to do with child welfare payments?

Here’s a big hint, care of the Indiana Civil Rights Council

[http://www.indianacrc.org/stats-info.html]

Children from fatherless homes account for:

63% of youth suicides.
71% of pregnant teenagers.
90% of all homeless and runaway children.
70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions
85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders.
80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger.
71% of all high school dropouts.
75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers.
85% of all youths sitting in prisons.

Children from fatherless homes are:

11 times more likely to exhibit violent behavior than children from intact “married” homes.
5 times more likely to commit suicide.
32 times more likely to runaway.
20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders.
14 times more likely to commit rape.
9 times more likely to drop out of high school.
10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances.
9 times more likely to end up in state-operated institutions.
20 times more likely to end up in prison.

Of course, it is possible for a child to succeed without a father, but one of the biggest obstacles facing any child in society is this predicament. It is also a FACT that blacks have AN inordinate proportion of single parent households.

Grow up, stop screaming and face the facts. Single-parenthood, in general, is a huge problem that has a deleterious impact on society in many ways. I’m curious to see to what extent it’s impacting the present property tax debacle.

Here is some suggested reading: [Indiana State Report on the Social Status of Black Males]

You might start with this excerpt:

Problem Statement: One tragic symptom to the plight of the Black male is the disintegration of the Black family. The current impoverished social realities faced by Black families are a direct consequence of non-traditionalism, or single-parent households. Unfortunately, in most cases, the single parent is a woman.

Percentage of Population who were Living in Poverty in 2004

Black Males – 26.50%
White Males – 10.19%
Total Population – 11.64%
Source:
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2005

http://www.in.gov/fssa/family/icssbm/pubs/2004-5annual.html

It would be nice to know more about the breakdown of child welfare costs. Increases/decreases from year to year, fraud, and a breakdown by race/ legal status of parents/ family status (father in the house?), possibly by neighborhood/township/county/city. It still is frustrating that the idea is being “floated” that the rest of the State’s taxpayers may be asked (by virtue of the State surplus) to pick up the slack for counties, and their respective child welfare situations, that can’t stick to a reasonable budget.

Hopefully someone out there with some time and know-how can look more carefully into this and complile an indepth analysis.

HOOSIERS FOR FAIR TAXATION is beginning to identify the lawyers in our ranks. We just may need them.

I think it’s odd that a Repub-controlled DLGF did not order a reassessment before this debacle, even though the DLGF plainly knew there were problems in Marion County before the reassessment was completed. I think it’s odd that the DLGF’s commissioner quietly resigned for “personal” reasons a month before the assessment sh** hit the fan. I think it’s odd the Republican John Price is only suing Marion County officials over the assessment, not state officials.

Other than that, I think it’s business as usual in Marion Co.

Thank you for participating in our poll. Here are the results so far.
I agree. 9%

I don’t agree. 40%

I’m glad I don’t live in Marion County. 51%