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taxes — and that these have nothing to do with each other is false.

Abortion, the collapse of marriage and family, and dropping fertility rates have everything to do with the overall health of our society.

As we look at this data from the Census Bureau projecting an aging country and a shrinking population, we need to look at the changing values prevailing in our culture as the number one culprit driving our problems.

Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal released polling done jointly with NORC (National Opinion Research Center) at the University of Chicago under the headline “America Pulls Back From Values That Once Defined It.”

Regarding religion, 39% said it’s “very important to them,” compared to 62% who said in 1998 that religion is “very important.” Regarding having children, 30% said it’s “very important” compared to 60% who said it was “very important” in 1998.

Among those under the age of 30, only 23% said having children is “very important.”

Behavior reflects prevailing values. Americans are bringing fewer children into the world. The current U.S. fertility rate is 1.67 children per woman, well below the 2.1 needed to maintain the current population size.

What has driven the collapse of our culture? One major culprit is misguided court decisions that pulled prayer and religion out of our public schools.

Recently, Harvard economist Roland Fryer wrote in The Wall Street Journal about the need for “real school choice.”

He appeals for the original vision of economist Milton Friedman for “parents to have the autonomy to select the optimal educational environment for their children, unbounded by geography or income brackets, and to take their full allotment of education funds with them.”

Giving parents control of their child’s education would be a major step in combatting the widespread collapse in values that has so badly damaged our nation.

Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” Her recent book, “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now. To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www. creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS. COM