Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[Diomedes]

Also, regarding the Biden comment which has vigy so upset.

Biden was obviously referring to the Bay of Pigs or the Cuban Missile crisis, not JFK's assasination.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Biden not commenting much on anything

Still, IGY is making something out of nothing.  Biden is simply saying that Obama is ready to prove his mettle.  Nothing less, nothing more.

[PhillyGirl]

lol

[Cerevant]

the question of gay marriage is as simple as they come.  it's a straight up civil rights issue.

the State grants considerable privelages and rights to two people who enter into legal contract with one another as domestic partners...provided the partnership is composed of a male and a female.

It's a semantic issue.  Gay couples should be afforded every right the same as straight couples, period.  But it sure seems to me the sticking point is calling it "marriage".  Call it something else if you don't like "civil union", but sticking it in the craw of someone who doesn't approve is not going to get you what you want.  It's just a pissing match.

Three words: separate but equal.

It is a semantics issue, but not a social one - it is a legal one.  The reason Republicans make such a big deal about the word "marriage" is that every state has laws on the books that grant explicit rights to married people.  If the state recognizes same-sex marriage, they have to grant all those rights to same-sex couples.  On the other hand if the state recognizes civil unions, there are no laws on the books governing civil unions, so they can pick and choose what rights to grant to a same-sex couple.

I believe that marriage should not exist from a legal standpoint - only civil unions.  

[MDS]

Anyone want to kill Joe the Plumber for me?

[ice grillin you]

Marriage is a religious institution.

absolutely not


like dio said its a civil righst issue not a religious issue...and if we have to many dumb ass states who individually cant see that they are discriminating against gays by not letting them marry then something needs to be done at the federal level

[Diomedes]

I'm saying it's even more basic than discrimination against gays...it's a discrimination based on sex.  There is no possible constitutional defense for allowing Jane and John to enjoy the considerable benefits and rights conferred by the State, but not Jane and Sue.

[rjs246]

It absolutely is a religious institution. The lingo has been adopted to have a legal meaning, but marriage is definitely a religious bond. I agree with whoever was saying that the word marriage should legally be replaced by civil union. That would clear all of this shtein up.

[Geowhizzer]

its not a states issue...all people should be able to get married and all those that do should have the same rights protected by the federal govt...i agree with geo that each individual church should be allowed to determine whether they wanna marry gay couples but in general all gay couples should be allowed to marry and after they do they should have the same rights as anyone else

The reason I say it's a states issues is that traditionally marriage laws have fallen under the states' domain.  To me, it would take a constitutional change (whether an amendment of a Court decision) to change it on a federal level.

I agree that all people should have the rights afforded to them (insurance, etc) for couples regardless of the gender of their partner.

[ice grillin you]

There is no possible constitutional defense for allowing Jane and John to enjoy the considerable benefits and rights conferred by the State, but not Jane and Sue.

its not enough just to have the rights that married couples have thats a complete no brainer...you must be allowed to marry as well


and if marriage was a religious institution there would be no weddings done by a justice of the peace and no aetheists would be married

i think marriage in general is a complete joke but if its about anything its about love not god or religion

[Diomedes]

my marriage is about god

i'm the god
she's my chosen one

[Rome]

its not a states issue...all people should be able to get married and all those that do should have the same rights protected by the federal govt...i agree with geo that each individual church should be allowed to determine whether they wanna marry gay couples but in general all gay couples should be allowed to marry and after they do they should have the same rights as anyone else

Yes times infinity.

What applies in terms of legality in Rhode Island should be the same as in Mississippi where marriage is concerned.  Call it marriage or civil unions or whatever but as long as there is legal & financial ramifications in entering into a contract, then every state should have the same laws.

I don't know the name of the legal term but murder is murder in all 50 states, right?  Same concept should apply to marriage.

[Seabiscuit36]

my marriage is about god

i'm the god
she's my chosen one

POTY

[ATV]

(AP) The gap between rich and poor is getting bigger in the world's richest countries - and particularly the United States - as top earners' incomes soar while others' stagnate, according to a 30-nation report released Tuesday.

In a 20-year study of its member countries, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said wealthy households are not only widening the gap with the poor, but in countries such as the U.S., Canada and Germany they are also leaving middle-income earners further behind, with potentially ominous consequences if the global financial crisis sparks a long recession.

Inequality threatens the "American Dream" of social mobility - children doing better than their parents, the poor improving their lot through hard work - which is lower in the U.S. than countries such as Denmark, Sweden and Australia, the report "Growing Unequal? Income Distribution and Poverty in OECD Countries" found.

The two decades covered in the study - 1985-2005 - saw the development of global trade and the Internet, and a period of overall strong economic growth. The countries covered are mostly developed nations, especially in Europe.

The United States has the highest inequality and poverty in the OECD after Mexico and Turkey, and the gap has increased rapidly since 2000, the report said. France, meanwhile, has seen inequalities fall in the past 20 years as poorer workers are better paid.

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said that the study, which took three years to complete, would be useful to policymakers because it is coming out just as the world is undergoing "the worst crisis in decades."

With several OECD countries already in recession, the "key question" raised by the report is whether governments can prevent a possible drop in top earners' incomes from sparking "a second wave" hit to the lowest-income households, Martin Hirsch, France's high commissioner for fighting poverty, said at a news conference.

"What will happen if the next decade is not one of world growth but of world recession? If a rising tide didn't lift all boats, how will they be affected by an ebbing tide?" Atkinson said.

With governments around the globe announcing trillions of dollars in rescue financing to shore up banks, "I think that citizens of OECD countries are going to expect that if you can find funds to rescue banks, then governments can fund an effective unemployment insurance scheme, and they can fund employment subsidies," Atkinson said.

Atkinson said governments need to act to support employment as a response to widening inequality and faltering economies.

"If the government can take on the role of lender of last resort, then we should think about the government taking on the role of employer of last resort. Put bluntly, governments have to step up. Step up to the plate as Roosevelt did in the Great Depression," Atkinson said.

The OECD's Gurria urged governments to address the "divisive" issue of growing inequality. He said they should do more to educate the whole work force - and not just the elite - while helping people get jobs and increasing incomes for working families, rather than relying on social benefits.

"Greater income inequality stifles upward mobility between generations, making it harder for talented and hardworking people to get the rewards they deserve," he said in a statement. "It polarizes societies, it divides regions within countries, and it carves up the world between rich and poor."

In the United States, the richest 10 percent earn an average of $93,000 - the highest level in the OECD. The poorest 10 percent earn an average of $5,800 - about 20 percent lower than the OECD average.

Social mobility is lowest in countries with high inequality such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy, the report said.

[Diomedes]

We're a branch of Jew called Dioism.

We are working on breeding an army to serve us.