• If the mother works part-time and remains single, more than half the time (55 percent) she will raise her child in poverty.

  • If, however, the mother and father marry and the mother works part time, more than 80 percent of the families will be lifted out of poverty. Only 17 percent will remain poor.

    • Clearly, marriage is the best and easiest way to lift these families out of poverty. And, as a different Heritage Foundation study last year proved, children who are raised in marriage by their biological parents are less likely to have emotional problems, less likely to be abused, less likely to become criminals and less likely to end up on welfare when they become adults.

    So getting married is a win-win for the parents and the children. Sadly, only about one in 10 of these couples will actually tie the knot.

    That's where a new proposal by President George W. Bush comes in. It would encourage marriage among couples at or around the moment of their child's birth. To do so, it would reduce the marriage penalties contained in current welfare programs – shortsighted policies that tend to discourage marriage and thus end up encouraging long-term welfare dependence.

    It would also provide:

    • Accurate information about the value of marriage for the parents and their child.

    • Marriage skills education to help parents reduce conflict and improve their relationship.

    The president's proposal will aim to create a healthy family environment without creating another big-government welfare program. And it will do all this for a modest investment of $300 million per year. TAKE NOTE: That's one penny for every five dollars the government currently spends to support single parent families.

    Is there more to a successful home than a wedding vow? Of course. But it is the essential first step in creating the environment to help children who are suffering now. We've become so skeptical of government (and for good reason) that many of us instinctively shake our heads at any and all legislative initiatives.

    The truth is, the principles to helping build long-term strong marriages contained in the president's proposal are as old as the family itself. History – and current data – prove that the principles work. President Bush's plan is a voluntary pilot program, but one that we should all rally behind. As the numbers show, for many young parents and their children, marriage is a good first step toward a brighter future.