Very interesting, CM.
I found the following:the website is designed to provide technical assistance to states and organizations that receive federal program grants to promote healthy marriages, a key plank of President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative. In addition, "this online resource center will help millions of Americans, who have chosen marriage for themselves, gain greater access to information about forming and sustaining a healthy marriage," according to Dr. Wade Horn, HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families.
The website was expected to go into operation several months ago, but was delayed after the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), a Minneapolis-based private research facility, announced it was ending its participation in the project after it was asked to include a statement by President Bush and a picture of the President and First Lady on the website. At the time of its decision, NCFR was working under a $900,000 a year contract from HHS to serve as the national repository and central clearinghouse for the Bush Administration's Healthy Marriage Initiative.
What, you may ask, is the Healthy Marriage Initiative? I may ask, anyway. Here's the answer:
The Healthy Marriage Initiative was included in the Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Bill of 2005 (S. 1932) as a proviso that sets aside $100 million annually "to help families stay together."
President George W. Bush said, regarding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children & Families "Healthy Marriage Mission":
"To encourage marriage and promote the well-being of children, I have proposed a healthy marriage initiative to help couples develop the skills and knowledge to form and sustain healthy marriages . . .
. . . By supporting responsible child-rearing and strong families, my Administration is seeking to ensure that every child can grow up in a safe and loving home."
Anyone want to guess what the Bush Administration meant by "a safe and loving home"?
