# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1100
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21982 "2015-06-04T11:24:21Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > That’s it? I was hoping for at least a “social upheaval” or “it becoming okay to hunt toddlers for sport.” [Babycakes](http://notneilgaiman.tumblr.com/post/14006021301/vegangirls-babycakes-by-neil-gaiman) ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21983 "2015-06-04T11:30:29Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > [Babycakes](http://notneilgaiman.tumblr.com/post/14006021301/vegangirls-babycakes-by-neil-gaiman) Huh, I thought that would have been a link to _[Courtship Rite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtship_Rite)_. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21984 "2015-06-04T11:33:54Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Santorum thinks that the Pope should stay out of the climate change debate and leave the issue to the scientists. Um, aren’t the Republicans the ones who keep saying they aren’t scientists? It gets better in that Pope Francis actually has a Masters Degree in Chemistry. So, you know, scientist. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21985 "2015-06-04T11:38:29Z")
Ted Cruz jokes about Joe Biden [before his son Beau is even in the ground](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/03/ted-cruz-joe-biden_n_7507284.html): > [@](#): > > Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) made a crass and poorly timed joke about Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday, days after Biden’s son Beau died from brain cancer. > > According to Detroit News reporter Chad Livengood, Cruz was speaking at a meeting of the Livingston County Republican Party outside Detroit when he mocked Biden. > > “Vice President Joe Biden. You know the nice thing? You don’t need a punch line,” Cruz said. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21986 "2015-06-04T11:43:31Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I realize you’re kind of stupid and therefore I have no expectation of a thoughtful answer, but what would be wrong with no restrictions at all (beyond normal medical regulations - I shouldn’t have to specify this but after all you are kind of stupid)? What is the worst you think will happen? Abortion parties! You know how crazy chicks are these days, right? They’ll be getting knocked up just so they can all meet a few months later, have some Chardonnay and bitchin’ tunes on, and all have abortions together. Fun! Hell, get rid of all the restrictions, abortions sound like so much fun, _I_ might even get one! Or three, or a dozen! And I’m a man, so that makes it even _more_ awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21987 "2015-06-04T11:50:18Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Ted Cruz jokes about Joe Biden [before his son Beau is even in the ground](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/03/ted-cruz-joe-biden_n_7507284.html): Cruz, like so many other Republican/Tea Party folks, seems to have absolutely zero awareness of what’s going on outside his own head. Plus, his “apology” (we’re praying for the Biden family and offering sincere condolences during this difficult time) only appeared to come after his joke (which usually slayed his audiences with raucous laughter!) landed flatter than the proverbial flapjack this time. Because, you know, Biden’s son had _died._ ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21988 "2015-06-04T12:45:49Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > This is kind of muddled, so I cannot tell whether it is stupid or the other thing: [Alabama state senate votes (22-3) to eliminate all marriage licensing and replace them with notarized contracts](http://truthinmedia.com/alabama-senate-approves-bill-to-abolish-marriage-licensing/). > > As much as it looks like throwing up the hands and stomping off in a huff, it may be the trend. Alabama as trendsetters. Hurts my head. I don’t see it as stupid or evil (which I guess is the other thing). I can’t think of any particular reason that a marriage needs to be licensed. The contract the article talks about seems like a fine process, and removes a roadblock. Notaries being a dime a dozen, anyone should be able to find one to finalize their contract. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21989 "2015-06-04T12:56:56Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I get it, the idea is to have no restrictions at all. Sure. Isn’t minimum regulation the general principle of things for Republicans? What business is it of yours, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21990 "2015-06-04T13:48:56Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > That’s it? I was hoping for at least a “social upheaval” or “it becoming okay to hunt toddlers for sport.” I have visions of a Hinterland Who’s Who playing on TV… As the wind whistles over the frozen tundra you can hear the oncoming rumble of the toddler herd. Spooked into sudden movement… ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21991 "2015-06-04T13:52:56Z")
Isn’t there a minimum age for Tributes? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21992 "2015-06-04T13:55:31Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > I don’t see it as stupid or evil (which I guess is the other thing). I can’t think of any particular reason that a marriage needs to be licensed. The contract the article talks about seems like a fine process, and removes a roadblock. Notaries being a dime a dozen, anyone should be able to find one to finalize their contract. Have they thought it through? Is dissolution of the contract comparable to divorce? Can one party be compelled to testify against the other? I’m curious how this will work in practice where third parties are involved, but the goal of the legislation seems reasonable - to remove the discretionary element from government officials who’ve been denying licenses to gay couples. Ideally, instead of a couple asking for a license to marry, the couple simply informs the government that they are married. The effects could be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21993 "2015-06-04T15:15:28Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > I don’t see it as stupid or evil (which I guess is the other thing). I can’t think of any particular reason that a marriage needs to be licensed. The contract the article talks about seems like a fine process, and removes a roadblock. Notaries being a dime a dozen, anyone should be able to find one to finalize their contract. Well I’m not sure what licenses are or how they work in practice in the US, but there’s a definite upside to the State being involved in marriage : accurate record keeping. Seeing as we still want to avoid polygamy, and married status is tied to a number of social advantages (inheritance, tax breaks, hospital visitation rights, etc…) the State must know who’s married to whom at any given time. This is much easier to do when it’s the State who does all the official marrying business with paperwork in triplicate ; as opposed to when every Tom, Dick and self-ordained Harry gets to officiate in their little corner. Same reason birth and death records aren’t handled by the Church(es) any more. As well, letting just about any third party handle it opens up opportunities to forge/retrodate/alter/creatively lose the paperwork. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21994 "2015-06-04T15:25:46Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Well I’m not sure what licenses are or how they work in practice in the US, but there’s a definite upside to the State being involved in marriage : accurate record keeping. Seeing as we still want to avoid polygamy, and married status is tied to a number of social advantages (inheritance, tax breaks, hospital visitation rights, etc…) the State must know who’s married to whom at any given time. > > This is much easier to do when it’s the State who does all the official marrying business with paperwork in triplicate ; as opposed to when every Tom, Dick and self-ordained Harry gets to officiate in their little corner. Same reason birth and death records aren’t handled by the Church(es) any more. > As well, letting just about any third party handle it opens up opportunities to forge/retrodate/alter/creatively lose the paperwork. I live in Alabama (I know, get the obligatory jokes out of the way) and I think this is in reaction to (1) A US Government Judge ruling that SSM is legal in Alabama despite state laws against it and (2) A number of Court Clerks and Politicians (remember Roy Moore, folks?) saying they do not want to issue them for religious reasons or in opposition to state laws (nullification is still a cause in the South). So taking the “State” out of the process is their answer, it appears. Meanwhile, we have a $200M deficit (yep, cutting services and taxes worked real well) and there are no more services to cut (prisons are at 160% capacity) and the Republicans in charge are doing everything they can to avoid raising taxes, because, Republicans don’t do that. After weeks of huffing and puffing, they still haven’t done anything constructive. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21995 "2015-06-04T15:41:21Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > Meanwhile, we have a $200M deficit (yep, cutting services and taxes worked real well) and there are no more services to cut (prisons are at 160% capacity) and the Republicans in charge are doing everything they can to avoid raising taxes, because, Republicans don’t do that. After weeks of huffing and puffing, they still haven’t done anything constructive. I live across the state line from KS (aka Brownbackistan), where they are in a similar pickle. The legislature is in OT, and spending around $43,000/day that they of course don’t have. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21996 "2015-06-04T15:45:15Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > I live in Alabama (I know, get the obligatory jokes out of the way) and I think this is in reaction to (1) A US Government Judge ruling that SSM is legal in Alabama despite state laws against it and (2) A number of Court Clerks and Politicians (remember Roy Moore, folks?) saying they do not want to issue them for religious reasons or in opposition to state laws (nullification is still a cause in the South). > > So taking the “State” out of the process is their answer, it appears. > > Meanwhile, we have a $200M deficit (yep, cutting services and taxes worked real well) and there are no more services to cut (prisons are at 160% capacity) and the Republicans in charge are doing everything they can to avoid raising taxes, because, Republicans don’t do that. After weeks of huffing and puffing, they still haven’t done anything constructive. It’s also unconstitutional I think. Didn’t SCOTUS rule that marriage is a right? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21997 "2015-06-04T15:48:23Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > I live in Alabama (I know, get the obligatory jokes out of the way) Your fat sisterwife won’t let us. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21998 "2015-06-04T17:11:14Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > I don’t see it as stupid or evil (which I guess is the other thing). I can’t think of any particular reason that a marriage needs to be licensed. The contract the article talks about seems like a fine process, and removes a roadblock. Notaries being a dime a dozen, anyone should be able to find one to finalize their contract. From society’s point of view, a marriage is essentially a contract. A contract cannot be made by an incompetent person nor by an animal. Getting a contract notarized (and registered/filed?) would be the essential element, but that doesn’t preclude jumping over a broom stick or the fanciest of cathedral ceremonies. This is, more or less, the prevailing method in Europe and I have long advocated for it here in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21999 "2015-06-04T17:26:14Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Abortion of viable babies? I’m sure that won’t happen. I have it on the _very best authority_: > [@adaher](#): > > You don’t get raped and then decide 6 months later that you don’t want it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/22000 "2015-06-04T17:39:17Z")
Why allow women the choice that no woman would choose in case a woman chooses it?! Priorities, people! ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/22001 "2015-06-04T18:00:05Z")
I think it qualifies as a stupid Republican idea that Rick Perry is giving it another shot for POTUS. Goddamn it, Republicans, I don’t want to be one of those voters who reflexively reaches for the “D” lever on voting day. But if you’re going to load your slate with incompetents, sociopaths, religious extremists and self-serving demagogues, then I just can’t take you seriously. Of the declared candidates, I think Pataki, from what little I know of him, is the only one I’d even trust to do more than run the local water board, and he has virtually no chance. Seriously, is it too much to ask for them to run a candidate who the thought of them winning doesn’t actively terrify me? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1099) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1101)