Worst. Idea. Ever.

[Axtech]

What bothers me is that everyone here complains for equality, but people are against poligamy and won't let people smoke. Don't you ever use the word "equal" unless you want to have all people have the same rights. Until then, you're just talking out your ass because you don't believe in equality, you just want things that could benefit you.

Smoking: It's not like we're saying "only white people and midgets can't smoke". It's a law affecting everyone. Therefore, it is equal. Some may not like it. Just like murderers don't like laws against murder.

Poligamy: The problem with legal poligamy is that it can be used to take advantage of the government. Like Corey mentioned, people can easily rip off the economy with legalized poligamy.

[bovine]

if no one was allowed to smoke at all, then we'd be equal.

Quite right

Also, to the person who said that we didn't really want equality but just things that would benefit ourselves...I don't see how you came to that conclusion. Although I'm not gay myself, I support the right to a gay marriage. Please let me know how that benefits myself...

:::troy:::

[bovine]

If you would like to take red-hot rubber dildoes and shove them up your butt while jerking off to football games using a peanut-butter knife... so long as you're not causing unwanted problems to others that would want to come into contact with you... GO RIGHT AHEAD.

Umm, I actually agree, but I think we all could have been spared the detail

:::troy:::

[Narbus]

Smoking: It's not like we're saying "only white people and midgets can't smoke". It's a law affecting everyone. Therefore, it is equal. Some may not like it. Just like murderers don't like laws against murder.

And a law saying "Black people are not allowed to vote" also affects everyone. Black people can't vote, and the power of everyone else's vote increases. Therefore, it is equal.

Poligamy: The problem with legal poligamy is that it can be used to take advantage of the government. Like Corey mentioned, people can easily rip off the economy with legalized poligamy.

Explain how.

[Axtech]

And a law saying "Black people are not allowed to vote" also affects everyone. Black people can't vote, and the power of everyone else's vote increases. Therefore, it is equal.

Actually, it is affecting only black people. You're not making any sense. ONLY black people can't vote in that law. Therefore, that law is directly affecting only black people.

Explain how.

As I said, Corey explained this.

Yes, I'm glad you brought this up. This is where problems start to occur when it comes to bending the rules on marriage. Say multiple marriages is legalized. This would be quite catastrophic for insurance companies. They would have to increase premiums in order to cover all of the different cases. A man with 7 wives could cover all of them on his policy. Also, imagine the custody battles that would be involved for children if any one of the wives decides to split. I'm worried that if the government becomes too lenient on marriage policies that it could have a negative impact on the economy.

[Sufjan Stevens]

No, a law saying black people cannot vote does effect everyone. Of course it effects the black people because it makes their opinion invalid. Then there are the candidates that get effected because they lose a good size of the population due to this law. Then the other voters are effected because their votes mean more to the election than they did before. What about people that are scared of blacks? They can go vote now and not have to worry about seeing them in there. Think about it, everything does get effected.

[Lydia]

First of all, this school has been open since 1984, it's nothing new. They're just expanding from 50 to 150 students now.

All that aside, this school admits students as young as 13 year olds. Technically, to be gay, you have to have sex with the same gender... How are these kids supposed to know for sure they are gay!?!? I would hope that they wouldn't be that experienced yet...

Technically, to be gay, you just have to be attracted to someone of the same gender. It has nothing to do with actually having sex. Do you have to have sex with someone of the other gender to be straight?

but can you imagine what the world would turn into if same-sex couples began raising children??

Yes, and I have no problems with it. There are loads of same-sex couples here, raising children. The kids turn out fine, more open-minded. I don't see how gay couples raising children is wrong.

[Narbus]

Actually, it is affecting only black people. You're not making any sense. ONLY black people can't vote in that law. Therefore, that law is directly affecting only black people.

Thanks to alan for covering this already.

As I said, Corey explained this.

Yes, I'm glad you brought this up. This is where problems start to occur when it comes to bending the rules on marriage. Say multiple marriages is legalized. This would be quite catastrophic for insurance companies. They would have to increase premiums in order to cover all of the different cases. A man with 7 wives could cover all of them on his policy. Also, imagine the custody battles that would be involved for children if any one of the wives decides to split. I'm worried that if the government becomes too lenient on marriage policies that it could have a negative impact on the economy.

Or the insurance companies could institiute higher rates for each additional wife, or only cover the first wife, or offer reduced benefits for multiple spouses, or on and on. They're a private company, I'm sure they'll find ways to remain profitable.

Custody battles: The child would likely remain with the biological parent. If the biological mother is splitting from the biological father, then it's a standard custody battle like we have now.

Also, I fail to see how custody battles would affect the economy so negatively.

[nelison]

Is anyone here truly upset about the idea that gay students could go to their own school if they choose to? or that gay couples can get legally married?

For the second question is it because of your religious beliefs?

[Sufjan Stevens]

They can do as they please. It's their lifestyle, they can live it. They should be able to go to their own school if they feel the need to, but it will haunt them. I think if they want to go there to avoid abuse in their teenage years, it will come back to haunt them later in life. People ask where you went to school, and if they ask, they're already labeled as a "fag" in people's eyes. That should mean nothing, but to some people, it does, and it will cause a problem.

Gay people can marry. Go for it. If they want to spend the rest of their lives together, then why not let them have the piece of paper saying they are joined together? I think it's fine if they want to be together, it doesn't effect me, or any other straight people. Let them be happy.

[closeyoureyes]

i guess it makes sense..but what about kids who's parents have brought them up to descriminate, and when thats taught inside the home, its hard to learn otherwise, especially if thats a family value, so though what you say does make sense,but the school idoes shelter gay/bi teens from descrimination, etc. I do, however think 13 is innapropriate, its too young

[closeyoureyes]

I think that gay marriage is fine, and i dont think its fine when people protest it. I mean, it has NOTHING to do with straight people, and so why do people rally around it. I was brought up firmly catholic, and in my house we were taught NOT to hate, my parents dont descriminate, nor will I ever. and I really dont think that Straight people should even have anything bad to say about it, it has no effect ever on us right?

[I AM ME]

very true, i don't even see why anyone cares, i see it in the paper and it effects me in NO way whatsoever, so i really don't even care and flip to another page, really, the only people that care a bigots, or certain people with warped ideas of gods wishes

[Axtech]

Alan: Yes, everyone is affected by the law. That does not make it equal. The law only DIRECTLY affects blacks. Therefore, it is not equal. This isn't a hard concept. The law is saying only that blacks cannot vote. Therefore, the law only directly affects blacks. Sure, there are side affects of such a law because it is unequal.

[Sufjan Stevens]

Well, not letting blacks vote is about as equal as not letting people smoke where they've always been allowed to.

[Axtech]

The privaledge has been taken away because it is harming other people due to over exposure to second hand smoke.

[I AM ME]

[Sufjan Stevens]

Give me a break. Trying to reason with you people is like slamming my face against a brick wall. It's fun at first, then it just hurts because I'm getting nowhere. Let me know when you people can comprehend reason, then I'll debate with you again.

Like I've said 20 times in these two threads, if smoking is so bad for people around the smoke, then why does the government still let companies produce them? If there's concrete proof saying "second hand smoke = imminent death" then present it. If not, then there's no reason to ban public smoking.

[Axtech]

Okay. So we have a different opinion. We're just as stubborn as you. That makes us the ones without reason?

Anyways...

I know what you're saying. I don't agree with smoking anyways. However, this is a step in the right direction.

[Narbus]

Alan: Yes, everyone is affected by the law. That does not make it equal. The law only DIRECTLY affects blacks. Therefore, it is not equal. This isn't a hard concept. The law is saying only that blacks cannot vote. Therefore, the law only directly affects blacks. Sure, there are side affects of such a law because it is unequal.

No, it directly affects everyone. I am directly affected because my vote matters more. Let's do an example to clarify. There's a city with 100 people in it. 30 black people, 70 not.

The aforementioned "blacks cannot vote" law goes into effect. Now we have a voting population of only 70. My vote's power went from being 1/100 to 1/70. This law directly affected me, clearly.

In the same way, your "no smoking" law directly affects everyone, but in different ways.

Just because a law affects everyone does not mean it affects everyone equally, nor does it mean it's a fair law.

And you still haven't answered the question of how it's fair for you to dictate what a person can and cannot do with their own private property.