Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[ice grillin you]

you cant truly protect marriage until you pass a law banning divorce

[rjs246]

Why does marriage need to be protected again?

[shorebird]

To keep lawyers from making so much money.

[phillycrew]

Benefits for Children
Looking at the benefits for children, there is a wealth of evidence that children living in two-parent homes are better off than those in single-parent families. They are 44 percent less likely to be physically abused, 47 percent less likely to suffer physical neglect, 43 percent less likely to suffer emotional neglect, and 55 percent less likely to suffer some form of child abuse.

Those living with their two married parents through age 16 have higher grades, higher college aspirations, and better attendance records than children in one-parent families or who experience family disruption. They also are half as likely to drop out of high school.

Furthermore, children in two-parent homes are less than half as likely as children in single-parent families to have emotional or behavioral problems. And children who live with biological or adoptive parents are about a third as likely as those living with single parents to use illegal drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. In addition, boys raised with two parents are about half as likely to commit a crime leading to incarceration by their early 30s.

Clearly, the research shows that marriage helps children do better on every level, and that is exactly why the government should encourage healthy marriages.

Benefits for Women
For women, despite a whole generation of a movement that has misled them into thinking that marriage is not necessarily in their interest, the evidence proves otherwise.

Studies show that wives are 30 percent more likely to rate their health excellent or good than single women of the same age. In addition, married women (and men) are less likely to suffer long-term chronic illness or disabilities than single women. And mortality rates are less than one-third as high among married women as among non-married women.

Women gain financially as well--marriage increases income by 50 percent for women (25 percent for men)--and domestic violence rates decrease substantially. Married women are far less likely to be victims of intimate-partner violence than divorced, separated, or never-married women. The rate per thousand for divorced or separated women is 31.9; never married women, 11.3; married women, just 2.6.

Benefits for Men
Finally, the evidence shows that marriage benefits men significantly and serves as a civilizing influence on them.

Notably, single men have almost six times the probability of being incarcerated as married men, and men who live with their biological children are more involved in the community and service organizations, more connected to their own siblings, adult children, and aging parents. Fathers living with their children invest more hours per week in work and careers than non-fathers.

Men's financial gains are substantial. Married men make 25 percent more money than single men, and two-parent families are five times less likely to be in poverty than single-parent families.

Their health and quality of life also improve with marriage. Mortality rates are two-thirds as high among married men as among single men. Married men (and women) are less than half as likely as their divorced counterparts to attempt suicide.

[rjs246]

I'm not sure what you're points is. If this list of 'benefits' is to mean anything, you'd have to produce an equally thorough list of 'detriments' cause by gay marriage. All this list says is that people in functional relationships tend to me more functional in other ways as well.

WHO EVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?! Better get a constitutional amendment forcing everyone to take part in functional, healthy relationships as defined by an overbearing government...

[SunMo]

that was merely two parent homes vs single parent homes...so basically he's making a case for healthy gay marriages over a single mom raising kids alone

[Seabiscuit36]

Marriages as a whole should be outlawed

[henchmanUK]

I'll ask the same question I asked before, to Phillymic specifically. If being gay is a choice are all straight people repressed homosexuals?

[SunMo]

agreed

[Phanatic]

Philly mic your the guy I want to ask. I really just don't understand. If your against gay marriage but for civil unions hows that work? I mean I'm against the lifestyle for myself but why do we get to dictate lifestyle for others? If you allow civil unions marriage is just a word that us 'breeders' cling too. I'm not even talking about raising kids. These folks want to get married and take part in our society. Working and paying taxes. I don't see why that's negative. Maybe I'm just a heathen.

I'd rather not see either of them, my opinion is that I do not believe in this lifestyle, I think it is a choice to be gay/homosexual. I would not want the public school system teaching my kids that two men or women marrying each other is the same as marriage as it stands today. If this proposition did not pass then it would have to be taught as equal. I do understand that the school district is not responsible to teach my kids everything, but my kids are in school about 6hrs. a day and the school system has an influence on my kids that I am care about and watch. Look I am confident that soon gay marriage will get the green light in this country and when it happens so be it.

At least being against both makes some sort of sense. I do not think this really should be a liberal conservative thing either. It's just people trying to make their way in this world.

Thinking its a choice is interesting though. Could you choose? Are you afraid that your kids would choose that? We just told our oldest that some people are wired differently. It's not even a choice at that point.

Though I think chicks can choose. Dudes is another story. There's my ignorance on the subject.

[Cerevant]

Look, if we start basing law on lifestyle choices, I want to outlaw Christian Fundie marriage.  I don't think it is healthy for young children to be exposed to that kind of ignorance, and I don't think it should be recognized or taught in schools.

BTW, the prevalent theory is that homosexuality is a continuum rather than a yes/no type thing, so in many cases it is/can be a choice.  The real point is that it shouldn't matter why they live their lives that way, they deserve the same rights as everyone else.

[henchmanUK]

It's not a choice! You fancy dudes, chicks or both! Or chickens etc...

[Phanatic]

A gay couple getting married means that they want to be steady and safe and take part in the American dream of death and taxes. They'd be taking part and putting money into the system. I still don't get why that is bad.

[General_Failure]

I've decided that this whole white thing, while nice in theory, isn't really doing anything for me. I control no significant portion of the world's wealth, nor am I famous for doing nothing. I think its time for a change. The obvious choice would be to go black, since I'm already an honorary black man and things are looking up for them right now, but I think I'm going to go Samoan. I think it'll be a better fit for me.


Plus, I won't have to do any of that pesky dieting or get a haircut.

[phillycrew]

I'm not sure what you're points is. If this list of 'benefits' is to mean anything, you'd have to produce an equally thorough list of 'detriments' cause by gay marriage. All this list says is that people in functional relationships tend to me more functional in other ways as well.

WHO EVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?! Better get a constitutional amendment forcing everyone to take part in functional, healthy relationships as defined by an overbearing government...

No I don't.  I'm showing the benefits marriage provides to society that justifies giving them certain tax breaks and protections under the law.  Give examples of benefits of a gay marriage that have been proven.