Allen Hunt said in the OP ...When the government (Granny Government or Nanny State) decides it knows what is best, the results can be most frightening.

Same things applies when the Nanny Church decides that, which it does all the time. It's actually much worse with the Church, because at least with the state we have some degree of democratic control.

Take, for example, China's long-time one child policy and the results it has wrought. Widespread use of abortion for gender selection, an abundance of males and a shortage of females, resulting in all kinds of social pathologies. Not to mention children who never see the light of day or feel a mother's touch.

Well, People's Republic of China is not democratic, and is thus more like the Holy Catholic Church than the United States of America. Pope Ratzinger even reigns over the roughly same number of people as Hu Jintao.
That said, while the one child policy does restrict individual freedoms, it was probably a necessary step to limit population growth which would have rendered China severely overcrowded. And as far as population growth control goes, fewer female children helps the cause as obviously females are the fertility bottleneck (a man can have a virtually unlimited offspring while women are limited by gestation).
Now, it looks like that the one child policy should be eased (to two child policy?) or maybe ended altogether, but not because it was so disastrous, but because of its success. It achieved what it set out to do, which is limit population growth to a sustainable level and ensure all Chinese have food to eat. You must remember that China was plagued by massive famines in not too distant past.

Excellent column today in the Wall Street Journal captures this. Amazing data and analysis of the Government Knows Best mentality when it comes to marriage, children, and the basics of life.

You are wrong here, and the column you link to does not even claim that, as conservative and anti-abortion as the author sadly is.
In fact the opposite is the case: far from gender imbalance and girl abortions being the result of government mandates, they are actually banned by laws in countries like India and China (both countries banned gender selection abortions in mid-90s). So the "Government Knows Best" mentality says you should not abort female fetii for being female, but individual parents chose it anyway, usually because of traditional religious beliefs and customs. What's the matter Allen? Aren't you for nearly unlimited parental rights, especially when motivated by traditional religion?

Meanwhile, in America, we are in the process of inventing a new category of "marriage" for gays

As I said in the other blog post, gay marriage is not a "new category" but an expansion of marriage to people it has hitherto been denied to, just like interracial marriage.

and encouraging folks to manufacture children based on whims and fads. I.e., we are now creating a generation who longs for dads but knows them not (via drive-by sperm donors) and who have never experienced the nurture and love of the two parents who created them out of love and raise them with the same.

Ban sperm donations and in vitro fertilization? And (since you are a devout Catholic proselyte) ban birth control as well? So deny the ability to have children to those that want them, but force children on those that don't. Perfect!

re: It's actually much worse with the Church...

Um, maybe in the Middle Ages when the Church actually had financial and spiritual backing by the majority of peoples. Today, the Church has almost no power in America (or other First World countries) except over those who believe in and follow Her. Take for example, the mighty politicians who claim to be Catholic (and even go to church every Sunday) but will vote for abortion, gay marriage and any other immoral sin that the general I-believe-in-God-but-still-do-my-own-thing society heralds. Many Church officials decry the disgusting immorality of our day but non-practicing Catholics, wayward Christians and atheist Americans just balk, make sarcastic jokes at and completely ignore the Church. I suppose, however, Jesus knew this would happen time and time again since He often reminds us in the Scriptures how "the weak and lowly" and those without power, are the ones who are given the grace of Truth.

As to the comment regarding "force children on those that don't"... well, given the natural law and common sense. If two people truly love each other and get married, the next logical and biological step is children. A marriage that doesn't desire children is rather odd, don't you think? Biologically (and if you want to look at it scientifically, based on psychological studies... also neurologically), two people who truly love each other would wish to manifest that love with offspring. Might sound old-fashioned, but those who have experienced true love DO have this heightened sense of wanting to carry that love into a new generation. Couples who intentionally deny that natural and biological desire, DO hurt their relationship immensely. The couple is not a "family" at all but only two souls who are seeking their own gratification. Granted, they may love each other very much and give to each other, but everyone knows that if you are married well passed the honeymoon phase, the marriage evolves into something else. Couples who biologically can not reproduce (due to medical problem) are actually in a relationship that is unnatural but God does give them grace (if they seek it) to endure a family-less relationship; possibly leading them later to adopt instead. Unfortunately in today's atheistic society, people seek only self-gratification (well, won't be extreme and say "only" because each person is more complex than that) but in general society opts to support "self" over self-giving. Having children is a form of self-giving: to your spouse, to your children. Your entire life as a parent becomes absorbed in giving to your children. There is little time for self involvement. And I suppose that is a whole new topic to explore!

I do not side with Republicans on their fear of a nanny state, but the point about China is true and quite frightening. Chinese women actually have their reproductive cycles monitored by their employers (those that are married) and they must receive a letter to approve of reproduction. Those who do become pregnant without official state permission suffer the horrendous murder of their unborn baby or the govt comes to take their baby away once she/he is born. CNN even interviewed a woman during the formula scare awhile back. She was helping to breastfeed babies during that time when mothers were avoiding contaminated formula. The woman told CNN that she was able to breastfeed because she had given birth to her second child (a girl) but the govt told her she could not have a second child and took her baby away. She only hoped (according to the interview) that her baby girl was with a good family. One can only know where that baby was: dead, in an orphanage (more horror stories there) or really with another family. In either case, any woman who is a mother would be horrified at that separation and the idea that a govt would have that type of power over individual lives.

Again, another long topic to write about.