When it comes to the problems Alabama faces today, we politicians are expected to speak in terms of dollars and cents or public policies.

We believe that every problem has a solution that is simply a matter of raising more taxes or making more laws.

Currently on my bookshelves at the office, I have 24 volumes of laws for our state alone in the Code of Alabama.

Yet we still can’t keep people out of jail or our state government out of debt.

The reason, I believe, can be traced back to the roots of our families, not the roots of our political systems.

As the family goes, so goes the society. That is a true statement today as it was 4,000 years ago.

The family is the bedrock of civilization and its success depends on the leadership it receives from the top. That means it all rises or falls on the performance of the father.

Today, more than ever, dad must take personal responsibility for the home. He must return to his role as leader and take charge. Our mothers are the heartbeat of the home, and I say, &uot;God bless them;&uot; but it must be said in a modern secular world that dad is still the head of the home.

He must be a priest for his wife and children. That means he must be a prayer warrior before God for his family.

Dad must teach the Bible to his children. Take them to church. Be a role model for good conduct, and he must demonstrate responsible law-abiding behavior.

Dad must be a provider for his home. He must not flee his responsibility of fatherhood through divorce or unfaithfulness. He must work to feed and clothe the children and see that they get a good preparation for life.

And dad must be a protector for his home. He must jealously guard what influences enter into his home through people, media or now, computer, that seek to harm his children.

In short, dad must set the standard for the family – not the government or secular society. I believe if dad will step up to the plate and lead in the home, we could see a tremendous reduction in divorce, crime and poverty. I believe that we could see prisons reduced and drugs erased.

I believe we could lower taxes and put more money back into the hands of the taxpayers. The answer to our problems in Alabama is simply – dad. The sooner we help him, the better our state will become.

Hank Erwin represent Shelby County in the Alabama Senate. He can be reached at mailto:senatorerwin@aol.com