# 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:** 1873
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37442 "2018-04-20T17:01:40Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > [Chris Christie spends $85,000 of tax money for his official portrait.](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chris-christie-official-portrait-cost_us_5ad9a14ce4b03c426dad1a6a) > > To be fair, his portrait may require more paint than the three previous governors combined. Would you be willing to immortalize his likeness onto canvass for any less? I wanted to suggest they use his “beach pose”, but it seems the twitterverse ninja’d that idea. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37443 "2018-04-21T01:28:20Z")
More Paint. _How much more?_ **All of it!** ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37444 "2018-04-21T01:49:37Z")
Good news everybody! The Republicans are being [stupid](http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/384208-trump-admin-announces-abstinence-focused-overhaul-of-teen-pregnancy) again! > [@](#): > > The Trump administration will shift federal funding aimed at reducing teen pregnancy rates to programs that teach abstinence. Do you think the right-wing Christian forced-birth advocates will understand that the inevitable rash of abortions and unwanted poverty-stricken children and rashes is their fault? I don’t, because that would require acknowledging facts and employing reason. Fucking throwbacks. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37445 "2018-04-21T01:58:20Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Do you think the right-wing Christian forced-birth advocates will understand that the inevitable rash of abortions and unwanted poverty-stricken children and rashes is their fault? I don’t, because that would require acknowledging facts and employing reason. They’ll grow up to be poor and uneducated, and thus vote Republican. It’s a win-win! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37446 "2018-04-21T02:04:05Z")
And they’ll have someone to put to work in the fields again in a few years. I bet toddlers would work for less than immigrants. Don’t have to feed 'em as much either. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37447 "2018-04-21T02:35:50Z")
I think there might be [a loophole](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DocpDltQALA) (_language warning_) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37448 "2018-04-21T02:59:51Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Good news everybody! The Republicans are being [stupid](http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/384208-trump-admin-announces-abstinence-focused-overhaul-of-teen-pregnancy) again! > > Do you think the right-wing Christian forced-birth advocates will understand that the inevitable rash of abortions and unwanted poverty-stricken children and rashes is their fault? I don’t, because that would require acknowledging facts and employing reason. > > Fucking throwbacks. Kids are waiting longer to have sex now: > **[CDC: Teens waiting longer to have sex, more use morning-after pill](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-teens-waiting-longer-to-have-sex-more-use-morning-after-pill/)** > > Report sheds light on how long teens are waiting these days, and what birth control is growing in popularity This obviously doesn’t mean that abstinence education is superior, or that it even works, but it does show that it’s not crazy to think that maybe teens can be convinced not to have sex. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37449 "2018-04-21T03:17:00Z")
I didn’t say crazy, I said stupid. Do you think having sex a bit later will endow kids with any sort of knowledge about STD’s and all the other things they would learn from a real sex ed class like the one the GOP are kiboshing because sex is icky? Kids won’t just be getting a bad education because of right-wing idiots, they won’t be getting a good one. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37450 "2018-04-21T03:48:53Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Good news everybody! The Republicans are being [stupid](http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/384208-trump-admin-announces-abstinence-focused-overhaul-of-teen-pregnancy) again! > > Do you think the right-wing Christian forced-birth advocates will understand that the inevitable rash of abortions and unwanted poverty-stricken children and rashes is their fault? I don’t, because that would require acknowledging facts and employing reason. > > Fucking throwbacks. All while the asshole in ‘charge’ chases porn stars, Playboy models and married a woman that has done soft core porn and is nothing but a gold digger. I guess the hypocrisy is no longer worth noting. But I’m gonna bring it up. Again. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37451 "2018-04-21T04:10:51Z")
It’s like a layer of stupid followed by a layer of hypocrisy followed by another layer of stupid, served on the Kaiser roll of ignorance. Serves 325 million. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37452 "2018-04-21T08:44:46Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > I didn’t say crazy, I said stupid. Do you think having sex a bit later will endow kids with any sort of knowledge about STD’s and all the other things they would learn from a real sex ed class like the one the GOP are kiboshing because sex is icky? Kids won’t just be getting a bad education because of right-wing idiots, they won’t be getting a good one. They teach about STDs and pregnancy in abstinence only classes. How do you think they scare kids to abstain? By telling them that the only way to be sure of avoiding pregnancy or disease is to abstain. In practice, I’m not even sure what the difference is between abstinence education and regular sex ed, other than the advocacy that abstinence education involves. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37453 "2018-04-21T09:54:47Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > They teach about STDs and pregnancy in abstinence only classes. How do you think they scare kids to abstain? By telling them that the only way to be sure of avoiding pregnancy or disease is to abstain. > > In practice, I’m not even sure what the difference is between abstinence education and regular sex ed, other than the advocacy that abstinence education involves. It tends to leave out things like condoms, the pill, how to have safe sex, etc. Standard sex ed typically also emphasizes that the kids receiving the information probably aren’t ready to have sex yet, and that they should wait. But they add the extra hints, “But if you can’t do that, here’s what you should do to ensure that you’re safe while having sex”. Which happens to be a pretty important set of information, because _that’s a really big if_. Most teenagers don’t _want_ to be abstinent, and and teenagers are famously bad at risk assessment and delayed gratification. And we know this - when we compare things like STDs and teen pregnancy in places with abstinence-only education, and places with comprehensive sex ed, the results are _not_ promising for abstinence-only. That kids are waiting longer to have sex doesn’t do much to dispute those results. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37454 "2018-04-21T10:25:09Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > It tends to leave out things like condoms, the pill, how to have safe sex, etc. Standard sex ed typically also emphasizes that the kids receiving the information probably aren’t ready to have sex yet, and that they should wait. But they add the extra hints, “But if you can’t do that, here’s what you should do to ensure that you’re safe while having sex”. Which happens to be a pretty important set of information, because _that’s a really big if_. Most teenagers don’t _want_ to be abstinent, and and teenagers are famously bad at risk assessment and delayed gratification. And we know this - when we compare things like STDs and teen pregnancy in places with abstinence-only education, and places with comprehensive sex ed, the results are _not_ promising for abstinence-only. That kids are waiting longer to have sex doesn’t do much to dispute those results. Hell, that info is really useful for later life, as well. After all, school is for teaching life skills, or should be - not just teaching towards a standardized test. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37455 "2018-04-21T10:50:04Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > It tends to leave out things like condoms, the pill, how to have safe sex, etc. Standard sex ed typically also emphasizes that the kids receiving the information probably aren’t ready to have sex yet, and that they should wait. But they add the extra hints, “But if you can’t do that, here’s what you should do to ensure that you’re safe while having sex”. Which happens to be a pretty important set of information, because _that’s a really big if_. Most teenagers don’t _want_ to be abstinent, and and teenagers are famously bad at risk assessment and delayed gratification. And we know this - when we compare things like STDs and teen pregnancy in places with abstinence-only education, and places with comprehensive sex ed, the results are _not_ promising for abstinence-only. That kids are waiting longer to have sex doesn’t do much to dispute those results. Plus kids having less sex is probably due to the same factor that’s causing kids to smoke and drink less: kids are spending more time in childhood. Parents nowadays don’t let kids spend any time unsupervised before like 15 years old. Adulthood among the current generation doesn’t really start until 30 or so. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37456 "2018-04-21T11:39:38Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > They teach about STDs and pregnancy in abstinence only classes. How do you think they scare kids to abstain? By telling them that the only way to be sure of avoiding pregnancy or disease is to abstain. That’s not teaching, that’s warning. > [@](#): > > In practice, I’m not even sure what the difference is between abstinence education and regular sex ed, other than the advocacy that abstinence education involves. Regular sex ed is effective; that’s the difference. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37457 "2018-04-21T12:00:59Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Plus kids having less sex is probably due to the same factor that’s causing kids to smoke and drink less: kids are spending more time in childhood. Parents nowadays don’t let kids spend any time unsupervised before like 15 years old. Adulthood among the current generation doesn’t really start until 30 or so. I really doubt that’s so. “Kids today” have been looked down on for generations, but I think that it’s always been unfair, and probably even more so today. Even in the last ten years, the ‘world’ of kids today is so much broader than the little bubble that was available to me, in the late '60s and early '70s. Schools teach more, looking at the curricula - higher levels of math than was available to me, for example. I suspect kids today are engaging in a lesser level of risky behavior is a reflection of that - they do, in fact, know better, than we did when we were their age. They still do stupid things, of course, but a little more carefully. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37458 "2018-04-21T12:10:42Z")
Kid are having less sex because they can’t get any damned privacy. They are under 24 hour video surveillance, backed up by hover parents with GPS tracking systems. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37459 "2018-04-21T13:00:17Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Parents nowadays don’t let kids spend any time unsupervised before like 15 years old. Adulthood among the current generation doesn’t really start until 30 or so. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37460 "2018-04-21T13:12:37Z")
Let your 12 year old go to the park alone and wait for the police to show up at your house. As for adulthood coming later, more 20-somethings are living with their parents than ever before. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2018, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37461 "2018-04-21T13:29:22Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Let your 12 year old go to the park alone and wait for the police to show up at your house. That’s absurd. Where do you live? I see eight-year-olds walking around our town unaccompanied every day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1872) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1874)