TYT: Tax Dollars Wasted to Encourage Marriage of Poor People [View all]

[The Northerner]

"...a federal initiative to promote marriage as a cure for poverty dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into programs that either had no impact or a negative effect on the relationships of the couples who took part, according to recent research by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Launched during the Bush administration at the behest of evangelical Christian activists and with the aid of congressional Republicans, the federal Healthy Marriage Initiative was designed to help low-income couples put a little sizzle in their marriages and urge poor unmarried parents to tie the knot, in the hopes that marriage would enhance their finances and get them off the federal dole...".* Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks discuss the program which was reauthorized by President Obama.

*Read more here from Stephanie Mencimer at Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/06/gops-dead-end-marriage-program