"Healthy Marriage Initiative"

[populistmom]

Bush's new idea. Is there any good to this? On one hand, if I'm playing Devil's advocate, I think encouraging marriage, especially when people have children is essentially a good idea for society. Not that marriage is certainly the end all or be all to happiness (boy do I know this one). However, most of me thinks this whole "program" is a way to pander to the religious right and to further marginalize the gay, lesbian, and transgendered communities.

[laruemtt]

1. this is NOT government

territory. hands off! he'd like all us wives to be like laura? over my dead body!!!

[funky_bug]

2. I agree with your take on the pandering

This was an underhanded, passive-aggressive way to slap at the gays and lesbians, as well as the liberal faction of our country who want to see equal rights for everyone, regardless of gender-preference.

I don't think there is anything wrong with encouraging healthy family relationships, but the counseling should extend to those beyond the borders of "heterosexual relationship." For instance, that money could go toward preventing teenage pregnancy, job training for single mothers, or programs to keep children in school. Providing early education in such a way might prevent the rapid decline of heterosexual relationships, and would certainly do more for the societal breakdown on whole.

Edited to say this:

In other words, I'm sick of all the rich straight people getting all of my tax dollars. (note, I'm both well-off, and straight.)

[K8-EEE]

3. Any Good To It? NO!

I have nothing against marriage, I've been married for 18 years myself....but I really don't think throwing a billion-plus dollars at a "wooohoo on marriage program" is going to save any marriages.

So, I would rather GWB spend his money on strenghening the economic situation for working people which would indirectly strengthen marriages, because unemployement, foreclosures, lack of child care and health care,bad public schools and poverty are bad for marriages!

He doesn't do anything without political gain and I don't want him wasting any more of our tax $$ -- heck he' s already plowed through it, I don't think there IS any money left for crap like this!

[Atman]

4. Bush already spoke out against his own initiative...

I posted this recently. Bush's own speech on the subject pretty muched spelled out why his Healthy Marriage Initiative is simply a foolosh idea, as are all faith-based programs. He and Rove are too just too dumb to realize what they've said, apparently. Good thing the media helps them out. But Bush own word's seem pretty clear...from my other post...

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040115-7.html

-----

"Many of the problems that are facing our society are problems of the heart. Addiction is the problem of a heart -- of the heart. I know -- I told this story before. I was a drinker. I quit drinking because I changed my heart. I guess I was a one-man faith-based program."

So gimme a grant? What's your point? How does this point to the need for the church to receive government funding?

"Problems that face our society are oftentimes problems that require something greater than just a government program or a government counselor to solve."

Hmmm. Like marriage and divorce?

One of my faves...

"Government oftentimes will say, yes, you can participate, but you've got to change your board of directors to meet our qualifications, you've got to conform to our rules. The problem is, faith-based programs only conform to one set of rules, and it's bigger than government rules."

What more can I say. The stupidity in this comment is unreal...until you remember Bush said it.

"In order to get beyond the debate of process, we must say -- we must ask the question in Washington, does the program work? Does the program to help the addicted work? Is the homeless program working? That's the question that must be asked."

Okay, fair enough...if "the program" is working, it must be, well...working. Nothing better than an infusion of big government to muck up a perfectly good program, the repubs always say. Well, almost always, apparently. Conversely, if the programs are NOT working, what is Bush advocating? Pouring money into them? Isn't this precisely the approach the republicans claim cannot work for schools, the homeless, drug rehab...oops, wait...the same "programs" Bush now seems to feel need help.

There is a lot more to this speech that I didn't even go through. It is madness. Bush is a certifiable whack job who doesn't have any clue what words are spewing from his Caviar-hole.

[Raven]

5. It certainly is pandering and worse.

I think the message here is in the word "healthy". What is a "healthy" marriage? How does the government get off setting the standards of marriage? But, have hope, like "No Child Left Behind", Bush probably won't follow through.

[funky_bug]

11. ZING!

Good point! I almost fell out of my chair. I would be funnier if it weren't true. I prefer to call it No Child Left Untortured.

[madrchsod]

6. yes it`s bullshit.

these nitwits always try to roll back the clock to the good ole` days. well, the good ole` days weren`t so good. they are not able to grasp complex issues in our changing society and they our powerless to stop it. instead of dealing with today they try to hide in the past they think was perfect when they were children

[Old and In the Way]

7. Perhaps Bush will unveil the $3BB "Apple Pie" initiative in his SOTU.

You know, get this country back to basics....invest in the pie making skills of the homemaker.

[loudnclear]

8. This is a bogus way of putting Fed dollars into the hands of Evangelicals

Everything the Republicans/conservatives/Bushites do is to transfer wealth or money and other resources out of the hands of the poor, minorities, and underserved and into the hands of the white Christian right conservative Republicans so that they can continue to feed the military beast. think how much money this is going to take in special programs and incentives and no one has shown any evidence that more marriages mean a better, safer, and more productive society.

The transfer of wealth and resources schemes are numerous and you folks had beeter start paying attention to them...you don't know what is hitting you in the face and pocketbook:

Taxes: less taxes for the wealthy means more taxes for the middle and lower classes to pay for the standard of living the wealthy are used to.

Bestseller books (bought in bulk by the neocons and given away free. Makes good tax write-offs, and spreads the doctrine of neoconservatism along with the lies the darling writers perform like Coulter, Hannity, and Rush).

Education: "no chiled left behind" and all those Fed grants to colleges and universities which continue to raise their costs pricing the children of working middle and low income Americans out of higher education. And don't forget all those corporate management training courses that amount to weeks and months of expensive boondoggles for Federal political appointees and upper echelon Fed managers who are in place to ensure that government doesn't work for the people.

Shall I go further? there are still the areas of health and health care; military service; housing, credit cards...

Just use your own thinking abilities and see beyond the obvious.
I knew you could do it!

[Crowdance]

9. Should help the evangelicals

They've got a higher divorce rate nationally than other religious. But, I don't imagine the money will be used to lower the divorce race where it's needed. I expect it will go to "faith-based" programs that proclaim the basis of all good marriages is women submitting to their husbands. If the wife is a cipher, and the husband's earning the money--by gosh, I reckon those wimmin will be staying in those marriages. So look for 1.5 billion dollars worth of behavior mod, focused on sending women back to the kitchen.

[flaminbats]

10. time for someone to announce...enough with the initiatives already!

time for some results...

[laruemtt]

12. welcome to the united states

of stepford

[T Bone]

13. So who will head it up ? Newt Gingrich, Steve Goldsmith ?

I think they ought to get an oft-divorced Republican to head it up. The network whores can play up the multiple experiences with multiple marriages as a good thing for the leadership of this initiative. Find a fundie minister who is on his 3rd or 4th marriage to co-chair it. There are a lot of them. Their wives leave them because they are such rotten husbands.