BryanS

Your thinking on this issue is 10 years old. Vermont tried this. It failed. Vermont now has granted access to the civil marriage system up there. They've "upgraded." New Jersey still has civil unions. They are among the worst failures (because a lot of people who live in NJ, work in NY... their unions evaporate every time they cross state lines into NY - and there's a lot complications beyond just this). The closest I can get... for people who think like you is the following scenario: Gay and lesbian couples could first be granted access to civil marriage... like everybody else... and then change the entire system to civil unions, for everybody. And then everybody, not just one group of people... would see just how bad civil unions suck. How do you think voters would vote on something like that? That seems like a lot of unnecessary work to please a bunch of apathetic people when there never was, or is, any religious component whatsoever to state-sanctioned "marriage." It is horrible that people are barred from the contractual arrangement of civil marriage because people think it "sounds religious" - when, after examining the issue just a little deeper - it isn't. All that is needed is a simple update to a marriage certificate. Line 1: husband/wife/spouse. Line 2: husband/wife/spouse. That's it. Those who want "tradition" circle husband and wife. Those who don't circle spouse. Now hard is that?

No. Too many people think, wrongly, that this is all about taxes, finances, and money. People don't get married for the tax reason. They get married for all the other reasons. People have children (from prior marriages). People adopt. People own property. People have insurance policies. People retire. End of life care. End of life decisions. Sudden death. Sudden illness. Next of kin. Funeral arrangements. Disposal of loved one's ashes/bodies (see my previous post on that one). ... and the right to end it all: divorce (which gay people are prohibited from obtaining - in this state). Plus about 1,000 federal benefits/reasons. There is nothing archaic about any of these benefits/rights/responsibilities in the sense of having equal protections under secular law. All of that is stitched and packaged neatly together under a legal framework called: civil marriage. People fall in love with each other. Form pair bonds. And nest build. Civil marriage protects the bonds and the nest. States in the northeast have experimented with disavowing civil marriage in favor of civil unions, for only gay and lesbian people. That experiment failed. There is no practical alternative to civil marriage.

Except for the fact that "Civil Unions," in states that had them, were proven failures. There is already a secular contractual vehicle, known as civil marriage, that serves couples extremely well - for those who wish to enter into it. Churchs already marry same-sex couples. But those marriages, like opposite-sex marriages blessed in churchs, are worthless under the law. It is the secular rights and responsibilities of civil marriage that matter. There is no religious component to civil marriage. As such, there is no need to call civil marriage by any other name or create some bizarre (and failed) parallel legal structure to approximate it.

Me too. I'd say he's gay or a nerd. More likely, a gay nerd. I think that this has clouded his thinking/projections/modeling on this issue. He's off by about 5 years, IMO. Well, Maine voters tonight elected to deny the equal protection of its marriage laws to same-gender couples. ~52% in favor of continuing to oppress gay and lesbian couples ~48% in favor of freedom 4 or 5% margin of so-called "victory." That's just not enough to deny people such important protections. Where one side loses nothing, if the other gains freedom. There needs to be a higher standard than a simple majority for one group to vote on another group's rights. The ultimate being - no voting. We hear... and we see... that the trend is in favor of marriage equality. And, that perhaps, in 5, 10, 15 years... marriage equality will be the norm. Even some conservatives will concede this. And we have to ask: If gay marriage... will be "OK" in 5, 10 years... then why not now? Why is it so urgent, today, that this progress toward freedom... be stopped by a bare majority? For just a few more years? Indefensible.

Yes, Dear Leader. We shall not fail you again.

Tomorrow is the day. Will voters affirm or reject marriage equality in Maine? I will have commentary... regardless of the outcome. Nate Silver seems to think the odds are ~5-2 in favor of affirming equal marriage rights in Maine. I predict razor thin margins.

Our friends at MediaMatters.org... have put together an excellent short little video that summaries exactly how fox misbehaves. How "opinion" becomes intertwined in their "news" segments. It is time we bring back the Fairness Doctrine, and apply it to television. That will be the only way to ensure "Fair and Balanced" reporting on Fox.

You should not be getting full on sugar. Ever. We should add HFCS to the list.

I like the idea of penalizing fat people with a fat tax. Good suggestion. Regarding products... the government is to protect us. EPA has restrictions on dumping chemicals, you are required to wear a seat belt, you cannot put dursban down anymore to kill fire ants (damn them!), etc, etc. We thought for years that there was nothing wrong with asbestos. Now we know it kills people. Same story with sugar. It just kills us more slowly. Regarding the fat kids that die at 36... problem is they don't die. They keep living. And need more medical care vs. if they were healthier. It's harmful to their health, and its harmful to my wallet. I say let's tax them, as a function of their weight, and introduce them to tap water. And if they insist on sugar drinks and food... they pay the tax on those items. ...as for cigarrettes... they should be declared illegal and stop all production. But... big tobacco keeps getting in the way... and now Big Soda is crying foul. There is this commercial on TV... some lady grocery shopping, complaining about all the taxes she has to pay. Hey lady: STFU and just buy DIET COKE! Problem solved!

For men, anything above ~2,000 to 2500 calories/day... you get fat. You eat meals. But between meals... it is the sodas and other snacks that turn your body into a shape that you only need one hand to clap. That being one hand slapping your bare, fat belly. And then you ask yourself: How the hell did this happen? Here's a link: http://www.sugarstacks.com/beverages.htm Look at this picture: I say we do like the Netherlands. They tax gas vehicles at rate of 180% of the MSRP (plus even more taxes). After all taxes, a $20,000 car becomes $70,000. Electric car? Hardly any tax. That will provide the incentive for people NOT to keep doing something that is harmful to them and everyone else. Which do you think you would buy? (from PBS this morning). We need to take on "Big Soda." Drink manufactures must produce zero calorie or NEGATIVE calorie drinks. All others to be taxed at 200%. Because I am tired of my tax money going to those who are unemployed, who buy sugar-laden drinks and food - become diabetic... and now I have pay for their health care... When will it ever end?!? No vending machines of ANY SORT in ANY schools. We had things called water fountains back in my day. You could drink all you wanted. For free! Enough is enough.

...there are plenty of "educational videos" on the internet, even the opposite sex variety, that can be viewed to debunk such claims.... nevermind. let's not go there.

Let's see... spend $150 million to fix everything... or pay an $87M fine... We'll take the fine!

Any loose materials must be bagged or boxed. For example: sheetrock, broken ceramic floor tiles, bathroom tiles, etc, etc. It's stupid, but you have to do it. You must have proof of Houston residency. Your cable bill will not work. Gas or electric bill. RECENT. Go on line and print off the latest. Enforcement of these rules do seem to be inconsistent at the central street site. From Nazis to not even checking you in - no questions, dump anything. You are allowed 4 visits/month. I've been there probably 12 times over the past year dumping remodeling debris from my house.

Leather type event. I'm really not into leather... except that one day a year, for some reason...

...if you have knob and tube wiring... still in use... ...you should not even venture into your attic...

It's either that or rough cut 2x4? ... ceilings... Did they use 2x4 up there? That would be crappy, if they did...

Silicone. And then in the inside, joint compound, finish, sand, and paint to match... Also... during installation of TV service... at my house... they are FORBIDDEN to run coax on the outside of my home. They WILL use what is already installed. If they refuse, they are prompt shown the door. I have never had any problems. But I have been using cable, comcast, time warner...

It's more of an issue than you think. As soon as voters get into a voting booth... that's when the animus comes out. Here's a real conversation in my office: Co-worker: "The chronicle is a liberal paper. All about gays and blacks. Did they endorse anyone yet, for mayor?..." Me: "Yes. Annise Parker and Gene Locke." Co-Worker: "See what I mean!" Second co-worker: "Is Annise... " Me: "Yes." Neither co-workers have much interest in either of these two candidates... Something like 36% don't have any idea who they are going to vote for... I want to see Annise Parker win. Because and only because she is a qualified LESBIAN. Everything else with these candidates is indistiuishable (all the top canidates are equally qualified otherwise).... Annise would make history being elected mayor. Not so much any of the others. But it will be hard. And I would not be surprised if she does not win, given this city.

Is it really? Or just a sign of the times? The internet makes large, physical places to meet unecessary. No need for gay bookstores or coffee shops, no need for large dance clubs (Rich's RIP), no need for places like Mary's any more (society is more accepting of gay people now - it being one of the first gay bars in Houston), etc, etc.

You need R-30+ in the attic. That means about 16 to 18 inches of insulation. Either blow-in (fiberglass, cellulose), batts, whatever. It's the depth that matters. You should not insulate and then pack all that insulation down with 3/4" plywood between 2x6 or 2x8 construction. If you want attic storage, pick a 5x5 or 10x10 area and deck just that part in the attic, with insulation underneath.

Get rid of that stuff. Do hardi-plank/concrete board. Vinyl and masonite are some of the worst siding materials ever made. Masonite being the worst of the worst.

Houston already has BRT... there are dedicated HOV lanes... inbound in the morning... outbound in the evening. Except, we are missing the "rapid" part of BRT. All we need to do is bar all vehicles - except METRO buses - from the existing HOV infrastructure... ...and then tell the METRO bus drivers to step on it... and wrap it up tight, to the tune of 105 MPH. Let's get there.

No. The other reason.

When Mary's could not host LUEY this year... because the fence was blown down from Ike, from the year prior... and they could not afford to fix it... something was up. When you get to the point where you can't even fix a fence... it's over.

Run off between Brown and Parker. I would guess nearly 50-50 split between those two candidates during the run off. I still believe it will be difficult for Annise. Money and the obvious.