Rescuing families from the poverty rut
Family
Written by Peter Jon Mitchell, a research analyst at the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada

Picture weather reports showing footage of the blustery ravages of winter. Inevitably there is footage of some unfortunate Canadian whose car is stuck in the snow, tires spinning helplessly. The more the car accelerates, the faster the tires spin and the deeper the ruts become. Now we learn from a December 2009 Senate subcommittee report that decades of social program spending and anti-poverty programs have resulted in years of tire spinning too, entrapping Canadians in poverty.

In From the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness offers two important conclusions. First, even when all available programs and benefits are accessed, many Canadians still find themselves in poverty. Second, many of the programs aimed at alleviating poverty actually ensnare people in poverty.

The Senate should be commended for taking on this important issue. However, the report has a significant weakness: it ignores the role of the family as one of the most important poverty-fighting institutions.
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Monday, January 18, 2010   
Marriage helps men cope with “health shocks”
Family
A new Canadian study suggests that when health issues arise that keep men from working, those who are married are better able to cope than single men, “because marriage protects them against such shocks,” the Vancouver Sun reported.

By examining Statistics Canada data on Canadian households between 1999 and 2002, researchers at the University of British Columbia found that when a husband’s ill health affects his ability to earn a salary, his working wife steps in to fill the gap.
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Monday, January 18, 2010   
Spanked kids do better later in life
Family
Flying in the face of conventional wisdom, a psychologist has concluded that preschoolers who were spanked by their parents are more likely to grow up happier and be more successful than kids who have never been spanked, the National Post reported.

Dr. Marjorie Gunnoe, a professor of psychology at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, believes there is not enough evidence to prove that getting spanked harms most children. She presented her findings at a conference of the Society for Research in Child Development.
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Monday, January 18, 2010   
Sleepy teens more likely to suffer depression
Health
Making sure teenage children get enough sleep may be one of the best ways to keep them from suffering depression, according to a study reported in London’s Daily Telegraph.

“Our results are consistent with the theory that inadequate sleep is a risk factor for depression,” said lead author Dr. James Gangwisch, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York. “Adequate quality sleep could therefore be a preventive measure against depression and a treatment for depression.”
Read more... [Sleepy teens more likely to suffer depression]
 
Monday, November 16, 2009   
Underfunded retirement: the cross-generational financial crunch
Family

Written by Derek Miedema, a researcher at the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada

Canada’s population is aging. That huge chunk of our population that is the Baby Boomer generation is almost 65. And in keeping with their reputation for being trendsetters, Baby Boomers have again distinguished themselves – this time by their lack of retirement savings. In 2007, Statistics Canada found that only six per cent of available RRSP savings room was used by eligible taxpayers. And with many pension plans now underfunded, the nest egg that many Boomers are relying on may not give them the retirement income they expected. While efforts are being made to address these problems, will this be enough to fund the Boomers’ retirement and old age?
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Christian Influence in Society

What does the Bible say about becoming involved with politics? Is there a reason why Christians should vote or care about an election?
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It is intended as a general, practical reference and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical, mental health or legal advice.