The South Capitol Street Tragedy Memorial Act of 2011 is bad legislation

Through the promotion of same sex marriage and sexual exploration of all kinds through the David Catania sponsored sexual health report , Catania promotes the weakening of families.   Now Catania wants even early head start pre-schoolers up to 12th grade students evaluated for mental health issues (as if they don’t have enough to do already).  School teachers and the DC Government should not be asked to step in to replace the role of parents.
The fact that the outside of marriage birth rate in DC is 55 per cent, and in Wards 7 and 8 is 85 per cent has a severe effect on crime and violence.  Even in crime-ridden neighborhoods, 90 percent of youth who grow up in safe, stable two parent homes do not get involved in delinquent behavior.  This statistic should inform us that we need to create policies that encourage parenting within two parent families.  We should not attempt to supplant the role of parents with a mental health bureaucracy.  And especially not with a bureaucracy that does not honor the role of parents, self control, and sexual abstinence,  as evidenced by Catanias sexual health report.
Anytime the government gets involved, there is a loss of personal freedom.  Look at the absolute mess at the DC Child and Family Services Agency, which has been under Court ordered supervision for years.   Also look at the mess at the Catania overseen department of health, where $5.8 million  were funneled to convicted drug kingpin Cornell Jones  who was supposedly renovating the property at 2127 Queens Chapel Rd. NE to be a job training center.  However, at the same time a liquor license was reserved for the same property, which is now the Stadium (strip) Club, as reported in the Washington Times.  This is a great example of why we should not entrust the care of our children to the government bureaucracy set up by Mr. Catania..    This bill is a bad idea and needs to be killed NOW!  Call your Councilmenber and all the at Large Councilmenbers as well as Catania’s office to tell them that you want programs funded that strengthen families by promoting childbearing within two parent families and sexual abstinence before marriage, and that you do not want the government to take over your role as a parent.  Delinquency is clearly linked to family breakdown.  Youth who grow up without a father in the home are much more likely to be involved in delinquent behavior.  Yet Catania’s bill does not address the crucial issue of encouraging childbearing after marriage.  The two parent family is the best structure to support the healthy growth and development of children. 
It is not surprising that Catania does not support the strengthening of the two parent family,  since he is the one who introduced and promoted the same sex “marriage” bill in DC.   The DC Council should promote what I call the Bill Cosby formula for success in life;  1) Graduate from high school, have children after you marry and don’t marry before age 20.  Those who do all of these things have an eight percent chance of living in poverty.  Those that do none of these things have a 79 percent chance of living in poverty. 
This means children also need to be taught to abstain from sex before marriage.  Yet Catania’s sexual health report promotes sexual exploration, and under Catania oversight, the department of Health pushes condoms but does not spend anything to encourage abstinence.
Call and emal your Councilmembers now (click here for phone numbers and emails) and tell them that you will parent your children, not the DC government and Mr. Catania.