James Dobson recently left Focus On The Family to focus on his own radio show. In his Facebook announcement, he declared that Americans "are in a moral decline of shocking dimensions" that threatens our "very existence." Pete Wehner scratches his head:
In fact, a great deal of empirical evidence argues that, if anything, we are in the midst of a social and cultural re-norming of some significance. For example, on issues of particular concern to Dobsonabortion and divorcewe have made great strides. The number of abortions performed annually in the United States has dropped to a level not seen since [Roe v. Wade]. The divorce rate, meanwhile, is now at its lowest level in decades.
There is more good news.
Since the high-water mark of 1994, the national welfare caseload has declined by around 60 percent. Teen drug use has declined significantly since the 1990s; so has the birth rate for teenagers aged 15 to 19. The number of high-school students who have reported ever having sexual intercourse has dropped as well. Teen use of alcohol and binge drinking have also fallen sharply. (For more, see here.)
That reality, of course, does not rile a radio audience.