Abstinence until marriage ...

[Thai family 0]

Palin married Aug. 29, 1988

Track Palin born April 20, 1989

You do the math.

Who cares???

Would three dead babies make you happier?

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Palin married Aug. 29, 1988

Track Palin born April 20, 1989

You do the math.

Who cares???

Would three dead babies make you happier?

jumping the gun, much?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

who the heck cares if she had sex before marriage...

isn't it odd that the liberal left is all up in arms about this?

Not me,I could care less.I do find her hypocrisy hilarious though.

And you're not alone. From yesterday's St. Pete Times:

The wages of teen pregnancy

By Robyn E. Blumner, Times Columnist

I find so-called "values voters" to be completely inscrutable.

First their "values" seem to revolve entirely around their opposition to: abortion rights, promiscuity, gay marriage, sex-education and church-state separation. Values like compassion, tolerance, generosity and humanity do not apply.

But then, when these voters are confronted with politically conservative candidates who seem to defy the Christian Right's rigid prescription for moral behavior, they shrug. No biggie.

When I look at the ticket of McCain-Palin, I see a guy who was a playboy, who left his first wife after she stood by him, raising his children, until his release as a POW. I see a VP pick who gave birth a mere eight months after eloping, whose husband has had trouble with the concept of a designated driver, and whose pregnant 17-year-old daughter is unmarried.

But what really burns my begonias is not this explicit hypocrisy. It is that the Christian Right is positively jubilant over the fact that Sarah Palin's daughter intends to keep the baby and get married, yet conservatives have helped to ensure that few young people have that as a viable option.

The life prospects of a teenage couple with a child and only high school degrees have collapsed in this modern economy. Things that might have prevented this deterioration such as support for unionism, fair trade policies, a minimum wage that constitutes a living wage and universal health care, have all been anathema to the Republican Party.

Bristol Palin and future baby will do fine, of course, with grandma's stature and money. Others are not so lucky:

For the first 18 years of the child's life, fathers of children born to women between the ages of 18 and 19, will make $13,200 less than fathers of children born to women age 20-21, according to a study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

But the real kicker is how devastating it is to show up on the nation's employment doorstep without a college degree.

If Levi Johnston, Bristol's intended, decides to support his new charge rather than complete college, he can expect to lose over a million dollars in earnings over his working life. For Bristol, the choice of bypassing college will drop her lifetime income by 40 percent. And about 85 percent of teen mothers who marry between their baby's conception and birth will not return to school within six months.

Also, teen parents shouldn't count on having health insurance since only 58 percent of high school graduates enjoy that perk, while nearly 80 percent of people with a college degree have coverage.

The prospects for married teenage parents have probably never matched those of couples who married later and obtained higher educational levels. But there was a time in this country when their financial outlook didn't look so bleak.

Yes, freewheeling globalization has had something to do with the downturn. But that isn't the only culprit. Hotel maids in Las Vegas, for example, enjoy a middle-class standard of living because their union demands it.

You can't outsource making a bed.

The anti-unionism of the Republican Party combined with its unwillingness to use government to look out for working people has markedly undermined the prospects of low-skilled workers.

The minimum wage is a case in point. If it were boosted to a point where every full-time worker had a chance of affording food, shelter and health care, the opportunity costs of choosing young parenthood wouldn't be so devastating. But Republicans in Congress have fought fiercely against every increase.

So when the "values voters" applaud teen marriage and parenthood, they are embracing a life choice that their favored party has vanquished for anyone with hopes of a secure future.

I wonder how many pregnant teens have chosen to have an abortion because of this very calculation? Not an insubstantial number is my guess.

[natty bumppo 297]

who the heck cares if she had sex before marriage...

isn't it odd that the liberal left is all up in arms about this?

No, it isn't odd at all. It's a little thing called "hypocrisy." Ever heard of it? It is generally considered to make the original "sin" worse. Dems get their feet held to the fire while the Newt Gingrichs, Larry Craigs, Steve Vitters, Tom Burtons, Ted Haggards and Sarah Palins get a pass. I think we have a right to get angry. After all, we're not the ones preaching "family values".

have you answered the question as to whether the baby was a preemie or not ... oh ... lets review the posts .... not

so diarrhea of the keyboard continues ... nothing new here ... move along

[Ban Hammer 13,643]

who the heck cares if she had sex before marriage...

isn't it odd that the liberal left is all up in arms about this?

No, it isn't odd at all. It's a little thing called "hypocrisy." Ever heard of it? It is generally considered to make the original "sin" worse. Dems get their feet held to the fire while the Newt Gingrichs, Larry Craigs, Steve Vitters, Tom Burtons, Ted Haggards and Sarah Palins get a pass. I think we have a right to get angry. After all, we're not the ones preaching "family values".

apparently you felt obligated to reply - feeling guilty? keep digging, we've got a front end loader on the way to assist you.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

I'm sure that they were "married in the eyes of God" before they made it legal, like so many others to be encountered here.

[jundp 191]

For **'s sake people. Is this seriously what this election race will continue to be about? Talk issues, not bed habits (and yes, that it BED, not BAD). Whichever side does it, it's pretty stupid.

Yep. I didn't even bother reading the other pages.

So she had sex before marriage and now promotes abstinence?

SO FREAKING WHAT?

I had sex before marriage and I am teaching abstinence to my kids. I don't think that makes me a hypocrite because my son can do the math too.....

[natty bumppo 297]

I'm sure that they were "married in the eyes of God" before they made it legal, like so many others to be encountered here.

oh geg ... quit making sense

[Ban Hammer 13,643]

For **'s sake people. Is this seriously what this election race will continue to be about? Talk issues, not bed habits (and yes, that it BED, not BAD). Whichever side does it, it's pretty stupid.

Yep. I didn't even bother reading the other pages.

So she had sex before marriage and now promotes abstinence?

SO FREAKING WHAT?

I had sex before marriage and I am teaching abstinence to my kids. I don't think that makes me a hypocrite because my son can do the math too.....

and let this be a lesson to you - don't ever run for political office!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I'm sure that they were "married in the eyes of God" before they made it legal...

Now, isn't that just precious...

Edited September 9, 2008 by Mr. Big Dog

[natty bumppo 297]

I'm sure that they were "married in the eyes of God" before they made it legal...

Now, isn't that just precious...

so ... without a legal paper ... you can't be married ... isn't this thought ... well pedestrian?

does everyone need to pay for the "civilized legal" mumbo jumbo to be married before God ...

Oops ... sorry ... render unto Caesar ...

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I'm sure that they were "married in the eyes of God" before they made it legal...

Now, isn't that just precious...

so ... without a legal paper ... you can't be married ... isn't this thought ... well pedestrian?

does everyone need to pay for the "civilized legal" mumbo jumbo to be married before God ...

Oops ... sorry ... render unto Caesar ...

Sorry, I seriously thought for a second that I don't live in a church but in a secular country. My bad.

[jundp 191]

who the heck cares if she had sex before marriage...

I care. I think that any woman that has sex before her wedding is gross and abnormal. And everybody knows that women like that are not able to perform a good job ever in their life just because of the fact they had sex when they were single.

Shame on her.

I love you, Nessa (in a totally non-Lesbian way)

For **'s sake people. Is this seriously what this election race will continue to be about? Talk issues, not bed habits (and yes, that it BED, not BAD). Whichever side does it, it's pretty stupid.

Yep. I didn't even bother reading the other pages.

So she had sex before marriage and now promotes abstinence?

SO FREAKING WHAT?

I had sex before marriage and I am teaching abstinence to my kids. I don't think that makes me a hypocrite because my son can do the math too.....

and let this be a lesson to you - don't ever run for political office!

Seriously. I briefly considered running for US Rep in Louisiana, and then thought....nah, they'd have a field day with my relatives.

[natty bumppo 297]

I'm sure that they were "married in the eyes of God" before they made it legal...

Now, isn't that just precious...

so ... without a legal paper ... you can't be married ... isn't this thought ... well pedestrian?

does everyone need to pay for the "civilized legal" mumbo jumbo to be married before God ...

Oops ... sorry ... render unto Caesar ...

Sorry, I seriously thought for a second that I don't live in a church but in a secular country. My bad.

the paper apparently is more important than the belief ... ask USCIS

[MrsCat 6]

Abstinence until marriage - does anyone do this anymore?