Single or Divorced: Either way, Pass the Lo Mein

Joanne Jacob's position on the marriage strike:

I don’t think it’s really that tough to be a man or that marriage is such a bad deal compared to living on take-out in your parents’ basement. Men, feel free to comment. And women, of course.

Some of her commenters take her to task for this view; my favorite comes from commenter F451:

‘…[not] such a bad deal compared to living on take-out in your parents’ basement.’

You mean like my divorced friends?

Single Men in Never-Neverland?

My PJM column is up:

Why do today’s men run from commitment - indefinitely delaying settling down in a marriage they take seriously, and having kids? Dr. Helen Smith asks whether they are indeed pampered eternal adolescents more interested in exploding toilets and video games than real life, or if they are simply making a logical choice when “the reward for being an adult in our society is so low, especially for men.”

Do you think today’s single young man is a “child-man in the promised land,” as proposed by Kay Hymowitz, author of Marriage and Caste in America or a rational adult who is turning to video games and alternative lifestyles because those are more rewarding activities?

Go read the column and let me know what you think.

"We 'R' Not Monsters." "They Treat Animals Better!!!"

These are the words of sex offenders living under a bridge in Florida (Hat tip: Tam):

The state of Florida is trying to dissolve a community of sex offenders living under a bridge that includes a gym, kitchen, living room and two dogs...

The men have lived under the Julia Tuttle Causeway for a year. They say limited money and strict local ordinances make it nearly impossible for them to live anywhere else.

But state officials are telling them to leave.

"We're urging them to find a residence. We want them to be able to reintegrate into society," said Gretl Plessinger, a spokeswoman for the Florida Corrections Department....

Juan Carlos Martin, a 29-year-old on the sex offender list for lewd or lascivious exhibition to a victim under the age of 16 -- a crime he says he didn't commit -- said it's been impossible for him to leave the bridge. He has been rejected from 15 jobs because of his record and can't find a place he can afford that's in compliance with the law.

Martin sits on his couch and sucks on a cigarette as a tiny white kitten peaks out from behind a stereo that no longer works. A gold crucifix hangs from his neck. He is off probation now, but he says he feels no freedom.

"What the law's doing to us is totally wrong," said Martin, who has lived here about six months. "Society will see that we aren't animals."

Tam has a good question in relation to the bridge dwellers: "What happens when the state turns someone out of prison, won't let them live anywhere near anyplace children might be, but doesn't want them living under a bridge, either?"

Where can they go?

"Pinky-Swear You'll Vote for the Guy on YouTube!"

I was sitting at the doctor's office today watching a Fox News segment on why young voters are pulling for Obama. The commentary was almost like a parody from an Onion post, "Don't know who to vote for? Just ask your 14-year-old." Apparently, parents like Caroline Kennedy are supporting Obama because her children made her promise to. Wow, was there a pinky-swear involved in there somewhere, too?

The middle-aged woman sitting next to me looked rather disturbed that the commentator and others were bragging in the segment about voting for Obama because their "14-year-old told them to." "I wonder how many of those kids have been out in the world, brought home a paycheck and seen what programs like what Obama and others endorse would cost them?" she stated. The veteran next to her looked equally incredulous and said, "Yeah, I can tell you how national healthcare would go over. I just went to the Veteran's clinic the other day with an emergency, they told me they could see me in three months. If that's universal healthcare, count me out!" Another patient in the waiting room said, "I wonder how many of the youth votes Obama will get because of that You Tube video?"

I can perhaps (okay, not really) understand 18 year olds turning out to vote for the guy they saw on a YouTube video, but there is no excuse for parents who vote for a candidate because their kids want them to do so. Because popularity and charisma is no way to pick the next President of the United States. Much less being told how to vote by your kids. Parents are supposed to be the adults, remember?

Update: At five years old, SayUncle persuaded his parents to vote for Jimmy Carter:

I decided, based on what I was being taught about presidential races at school, that my parents should vote for Jimmy Carter. My reasoning was simple enough: he had some shiny white teeth......To this day, my dad blames me.

Dad has no one to blame but himself--don't listen to your kids-- especially if they go to public schools.

Thomas Sowell on Economic Facts and Fallacies

John Hawkins interviews Thomas Sowell on his new book, Economic Facts and Fallacies. Sowell discusses why women supposedly make 76 cents for every dollar a man makes:

There are lots of reasons. Men and women do not work the same number of hours. They do not work in the same occupations. They do not work continuously the same, and so on.

You know, if it was really true that you could hire a woman for three quarters of what you could hire a man with exactly the same qualifications, then employers would be crazy not to hire all women. It would be insane to hire men. Not only would it be insane, it would probably put them out of the business because the ones that were smart enough to hire women would have such a cost advantage that it would be really hard for the others to compete.

There are lots of gross differences between men and women and other groups and some of them shocked me when I first started doing the research. For example, I found that young, male doctors make considerably more than young, female doctors. But, when I dug into it a little deeper, I discovered that young, male doctors work an average of 500 hours a year more than young, female doctors. Obviously, a doctor that works 500 extra hours is going to make more money than the other doctor.

Wow, that's almost ten hours more per week that young male doctors work. With the soaring number of women going into medicine (usually in specialties like psychiatry, pediatrics,OB/GYN and dermatology) along with the aging population and possible universal healthcare on the horizon, I wonder how this fact will play out in older patients getting the care they need.

Anyway, it's a good interview, take a look.

Which Deadly Sin are You?

Okay Instapundit, I'll take your stupid quiz--Uh-oh:

Which of the Seven Deadly Sins Are You?

Pride -- Self-love. You have a way-too-high opinion of yourself, and anyone who contradicts you is stupid and wrong.
Take this quiz!








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Neo-Neocon on conservative's disdain for McCain and their subsequent faulty logic in saying they will vote for a Democrat or sit out the election should McCain get the nomination: "The logic—if you can call it that—is to allow the nation to hit rock bottom, somewhat like an alcoholic, in order to finally see that its true salvation lies in electing a conservative purist."

I'm with Neo--alcoholics often hit rock bottom and stay there.

Interview: Mitt Romney on the Fight for Super Tuesday

Super Tuesday is fast approaching and we caught up with Governor Mitt Romney on the campaign trail. We talked with him about everything from his views on gun rights and his battle with John McCain for the nomination, to whether he is mean enough to be president. Can he pull off a Turnaround?

You can listen directly -- no downloads needed -- by going here and clicking on the gray Flash Player. You can download the file directly and listen at your leisure by clicking right here. And you can get a lo-fi version, suitable for cellphones, Treos, etc., by going here and selecting "lo fi." You can also get a free subscription via iTunes and make sure you never miss an episode. Show archives are at GlennandHelenShow.com.