In 1902, Vladimir Lenin published a pamphlet to advocate creating a political party as a vanguard to revolution. It was titled “Chto delat’?,” usually translated as “What is to be done?” That is the question for the NISAs of our time. Without coaxing the proverbial Julia away from Uncle Sugar Daddy, conservatives and libertarians cannot hope to persuade enough voters towards restoring our economic fortunes or the rule of law in this generation. Given the electorate’s inexorable despondency, our best options depend on finding answers to the Julia dilemma.

Two suggestions are offered. First, we should voluntarily assist these single mothers through charities and other private agencies. Second, because such women lack the knowledge to ground philosophical principles, we ought to convey stories about the adverse effects of intrusive government.

Some might object to the first for abetting promiscuity. The sex ratio explains why this criticism is overwrought. Without a career, women’s biological clocks prompt childbearing long before menopause begins. If without a husband, then so be it.

Also, the decline in religious observance has eroded moral enforcement of premarital chastity. Family disintegration keeps families and churches from passing on traditional mores to subsequent generations. Consequently, many adolescents receive no guidance—virtuous or practical—about how to interact with the opposite sex, and the distractions of popular culture do not encourage self-discipline and patience. One should not await such qualities when they have not been taught.