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You just gave me a flashback Griff.
But the thread of hope is that in that chaos some manage to blossom and break the cycle. Some even amazingly manage to blossom with a baby of their own in tow. Like Bets, she had a baby as a teen, on her own. Graduated, got a gig as a lab tech and did that for years while raising her kid. When her daughter was 12, Bets decided to try for medical school. She got in. This year shes is doing her residency, met a new husband at a softball game along the way and just had a new baby son. I had a beer with her last weekend and learned that her very cool and smart daughter graduates HS this year and is heading to college in Madison.
Government can and should offer hope. Investing in prenatal to 6yr old children- coordinated (#1) health care, early childhood care and education, head start , parent support and education, makes financial sense. Kindergarten is just about too late to get in the game. By 8 years the pattern is taking root. Most parents love their children and want the best. Coordinated services that assist parents and young children can help. Its a smart investment of your tax dollars. This investment would payoff in approximately 20 years with a generally healthier, higher educated, more stable citizenry and workforce. There is some research that has looked at earlychildhood as a longterm investment and the positive financial impact...if anyone cares, I'll see if I can find it.
(another reason I like Dean, he actually talks about this issue)
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