"Family Values" Takes a Peculiar Fork in the Road

I don't believe in pulling children of candidates into political commentary. It is in poor taste to use an innocent bystander as fuel for any argument with the slightest political overtone.

There are always, however, circumstances where a particular journey forks, leading everyone into uncharted territory, where hard and fast rules cease to apply. It just so happens the voting public currently finds itself in the midst of such a situation.

Levi Johnston, fiance` of Bristol Palin, Governor Sarah Palin's daughter, decided to insert himself into the national conversation yesterday by providing "exclusive" access to a media source, detailing his plans for the immediate future and beyond. It appears the 18 year old Johnston has dropped out of high school (during his Senior year) in order to take a job offshore; he insists he always intended to marry Palin (they have dated since their freshman year of high school), nothing has changed, and he absolutely wants to go forward with the marriage, fatherhood, the whole nine yards. By all accounts, Johnston is taking the honorable high road regarding his responsibilities.

You know there is a colossal "but" in this story. Johnston is dropping out of high school; their baby is not due until December. So, at that point, he would have four months to complete a goal which would allow him to walk through a wide variety of doors, opposed to a minimal few doors, in an increasingly specialized job market. Johnston is doing the antithesis of what his future mother-in-law, a little over a year ago, implored all Alaskan high school students to do. Perhaps the best initiative to come out of her governance is a platform dedicated to reducing the drop-out rate of Alaskan teen agers. Last year Governor Palin introduced the plan, saying something to the effect of no situation is ever so dire that one should abandon school. There are always options. I must say, this is the only issue to date where I couldn't agree more with Palin's statement.

For the sake of argument let's assume there is a circumstance where attending school,unfortunately, becomes impossible for a high school student. There is another option; secure a GED. When circumstances loosen up, that could be the ticket one would need to pursue higher education.

I would never presume to criticize an individual's right to choose a career path; that decision is truly part and parcel of our guaranteed right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However, when a leader has, correctly, espoused a pro-education platform ( an issue, frankly, we've heard little to nothing about from the McCain Palin campaign), it comes off as a bit hypocritical when she condones her future son-in-law, the father of her unborn grandchild, dropping out of high school. It sends a very mixed signal of the greatest proportion. Governor Palin and Senator McCain have been trumpeting for two weeks the significance of one's character being illustrated by one's associates, and the actions of those associates. What does this say about Sarah Palin's "family values", never mind her stand on education, that she would continue to pursue a personal ambition when an associate of hers, one of the closest order, is about to make a dreadful mistake, compromising his future, her daughter's future, and an unborn baby's future?

The couple keeping the baby is moral and honorable. The young man standing by his obligations, however misguided his plans, is quite commendable. The absence of Sarah Palin at this pivotal time, her neglect to advise and support her daughter and future son-in-law, in person, not through a conference call from the campaign trail, is unforgivable. She is demonstrating a failure of leadership within her own family. The governor knows, as we all do, dropping out of high school is, at best, a risky proposition, with plenty of opportunities for one to fall through the cracks. Education is the key to a secure future..... we deserve a government who believes this as well, demonstrating his or her committment to education, first and foremost, by promoting and providing for it in his or her own family.