As crime ravages our nation, the first and best answer is better family values and better family structures. The first and best predictor of violent and/or criminal activity is the lack of such- the lack of family structure and/or the lack of a father in the home. Communities continue to fail their children by failing to step-up to fill this void. Talk is cheap. Processes, structures, and organizations must be on the ground, making grass-roots efforts to draw aimless youths into a structure where advice, hope, and help take place on a daily basis. Schools are, certainly, not the answer, and police have more than enough strain on their lives and resources. State governments need to allocate resources to communities and towards motivating and corralling people- successful men in communities- to answer this call to fill the great father-void that, along with the Internet (and chemical-caused mental health problems, where applicable), is a prime cause of troubled youths’ wrong-headedness and bad or even criminal behavior.

Governors are the first line of defense for our youths who lack a father in the home. It starts with governors and state legislatures and budgetary decisions, which trickles down to mayors, city councils, school administrators, teachers, police, and then to the citizens. It requires educating men to be fathers to their children- but it really requires giving young men the tools to cope and thrive before they think about becoming fathers and while they are young and impressionable and can be shown a better path for their lives than becoming an irresponsible parent and procreate out of wedlock.