Montalvo - Family & Society

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Failure to wear a seat belt should be a secondary offense. I hate all these nanny state regs but when we're forced to pay the hospital bill for the idiots who lack the money to do so and the brains/discipline to wear a belt, whatcha gonna do???

Roman Polanski should be extradited to the U.S. Duh!

I have smoked marijuana. And unlike Clinton (who let others do the sucking), I inhaled. These days, I rely on wine for cerebral sedation.

I never attend religious services. I stopped attending shortly after I discontinued my letters to Santa and putting teeth under my pillow. But I do attend weddings and funerals...to the extent that you'd call those religious.

Employers should not block personal e-mail access on company computers. Employers must ensure that company communication "tools" (phone, e-mail, web) aren't abused but a prohibition signals a lack of trust. That said, it's clearly within their rights to block access.

Same-sex marriage should be available for same-sex couples. Religious zealots notwithstanding, the term marriage has had a civil law definition from the get-go & it's reasonable & appropriate that it be modified to reflect contemporary values.

Marijuana for medicinal use should be legalized. ...as should all other street drugs, subject to strict regulation (focused on precluding and/or recovering from addiction) and taxation to cover the cost of same.

Racial profiling by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was a factor in his arrest. Based on the cop's background, I find the arrest report more credible than Gates’ account. Gates accused the cop of “being a racist police officer” without provocation…that’s racial profiling.

The arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was justified. Profiling options: all officers are racial profilers, all blacks are criminals, all officers are honest, all perps are guilty...damn! Without U-Tube, profiling’s 'bout all you’ve got!

President Obama's statement about Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s arrest was not appropriate. To have stated that all the facts weren't in and then define the police action as stupidity was...STUPID. And it displayed a latent racial bias (ironically, "profiling") against white police officers

It is appropriate to talk on the phone while using a public restroom. But ONLY if you're reporting a crime or requesting a new roll of TP. Jeez, can't we even take a crap in peace anymore? It's bad enough that Senators are soliciting you under the stall wall...

Racial discrimination is no longer a significant problem in America. Racial discrimination's greatest harm comes from its use by black leaders as an excuse for blacks' failure to make economic progress. Believing that discrimination blocks their success, they give up.

Cats are better pets than dogs. One of the reasons dogs are so loyal is because they're so stupid. And, as such, they're high maintenance. You've got to put up with pee/poop wherever they choose to drop it. Almost as bad as kids...

Morality and religion absolutely should not play a role in public policymaking Been there, done that. Bush supported such "moral" nonsense as bans on stem cell research and abortion. How 'bout if we shift the focus to COMPETENCE. Whoa...that'd be a new approach!

Monogamy is not natural. Only about 50% of married men are monogamous and I doubt most of them would consider it "natural". As for the unmarried men, well we know they're not!

Minors should not be charged as adults for sex crimes. There's something screwy about a criminal justice system which endorses different treatment for minors but then arbitrarily revokes the distinction based on the infraction.

Parents should not have the right to refuse medical care for their children due to religious beliefs. Child abuse is child abuse. Whether motivated by perverse sexual desires, cruel or sadistic predilections, uncontrolled anger or religious/superstitious nonsense, the state must intervene.

Christianity is in decline. As an increasingly larger percentage of the world's population finds that their basic needs are being met, religions, pagan beliefs & other such superstitions will be deemed irrelevant & unnecessary.

Jesus Christ was a real-life person. And were he alive today (sorry, believers...he's not), he'd probably look at all these cults operating under the auspices of his name and puke. He'd be especially pissed off by those phonies in Rome.

The United States should not issue a formal apology for slavery. There was a time when that might have been appropriate but it's long gone now. In case you hadn't noticed, you can't hardly find any freed slaves around any more. Move on...

Child services should not take custody of Nadya Suleman's kids. There are millions of equally irresponsible parents and her notoriety may ultimately pay off handsomely, taking finances off the table. Time to start licensing ALL parents.

Marijuana should be legal. And taxed to raise funds for Federal deficit reduction. The humongous amount of money saved on interdiction, prosecution and incarceration can go toward the same thing.

The legal drinking age should be 21. America's parenting success is not on a par with most of Europe, where youthful alcohol abuse is low even without legal restrictions. 900 additional traffic deaths a year is too high a price to pay.

Altruistic actions are inherently motivated by self-interest. Those who feel noble about their selfless acts have thus demonstrated why selfless acts don't exist. Assuaging guilt, feeling noble/superior, getting a warm feeling are among the payoffs.

Couples should celebrate Valentine's Day. But you need to do what I did: get married no more than a week before or after 2/14. That way you can get away with just one celebration for both V-day and anniversary. Works great!

Abraham Lincoln had a greater influence on society than Charles Darwin. Darwin: a major scientific insight. Lincoln: saved the Union and abolished slavery. Close, but I'd give Abe the edge.

A small portion of the nation's poor are victims of circumstances beyond their control. While there are some true victims, most owe their status to being lazy, irresponsible and/or self-indulgent. They're wholly undeserving of the labels "less fortunate" or "disadvantaged".

Marijuana is not a gateway drug. OK, maybe a gateway to munchies. But remember, 99.8% of heroin addicts used orange juice as well as weed before getting hooked on heroin. Is OJ a gateway drug?

Gay marriage should be a federal issue. Federal income tax regs use marital status in computing taxpayers' obligations. Differences in state rules for gay marriage will result in gender-based inequities in Federal tax burdens.

Women that use drugs during a pregnancy should be criminally prosecuted for endangering the unborn fetus. But NOT prior to the 3rd trimester. 'Til then, a fetus is no more than a lump of protoplasm, ineligible for state protection. The prospective mother may ultimately be causing harm but it's her call.

Children with one heterosexual parent are not better off than children with two homosexual parents. Two parents are better than one. Gender and sexual orientation are inconsequential to parenting compared to all the important stuff (love, discipline, nutrition, responsibility, communication, etc.).

The U.S. Constitution does not provide a right to privacy. Blackmun's claim of a "penumbra" of privacy rights in the Constitution was a notable act of judicial legislation and was inappropriate in my judgment. And I'm solidly pro-choice!

Homeless animals should be euthanized. And I could be convinced that the same should apply to homeless humans, the ones who are sane but lazy, irresponsible and/or self-indulgent.

References to God or religion should be left out of U.S. Presidential Inaugurations. What possible relevance does God or religion have to a presidential inauguration? And George W. claimed to solicit divine guidance. How'd THAT work out for us? Let's get real...

The access to food is not a human right. If you believe food is a human right, test it out. Go shoplift a turnip and see how that works for you. What an idiotic notion!

The term "God" should be used in oaths. But only when requiring people not to tell any goddamn lies, violate their goddamn oath of office or commit to whatever goddamn thing you're asking them to swear to.

Casual sex is not immoral. What's immoral is folks applying their values to others' behavior and labeling it "immoral". What bunk! The only universally accepted rule is the rule of law. Keep your own "rules" to yourself!

Gender is a social construct. Semantically speaking, it is. But it's also popularly used in reference to anatomical differences.

The U.S. should not return to the gold standard. There's lots of opportunity for improvements in US monetary policy setting practices but returning to the gold standard creates more problems than it solves.

Laws banning sagging pants are not unconstitutional. If the constitution permits a ban on nudity in public, it seems logical to believe other forms of attire can be banned as well. But what's next...banning ugly faces? (You know who you are...)