[quote=AN][quote=svelte]Polygamy – I’ve never really understood the country’s aversion to that. Guess I wouldn’t oppose it, but would probably put some sort of limitation on drawing public assistance. Ain’t gonna happen anyway, so I don’t spend much time thinking about it.

I’ve known several ppl in 3some relationships. They never seem to be long-lasting, though I’m sure some have.[/quote]
Would you put the same limitation on drawing public assistance for straight and gay couples?

Does it matter if their relationships last? Straight divorce rate is around 50%, it’ll be interesting to see what the divorce rate would be for gay couples.[/quote]

AN, in the case of the polygamist culture, the entire family lives on a compound and shares household and bldg/land maintenance. When they grow up, they do not move away. They simply “marry” and perpetuate the lifestyle on the very same compound they grew up in. The children are “homeschooled” by parents (mainly moms) who have little education themselves and so are unqualified to “teach” their children. Very, very few of these children ever set foot in a college unless they manage to “escape” the only culture they ever knew. Because of the above factors, taxpayers in higher cost areas (almost anyplace other than the semi-remote and remote desert of Southern UT/Northern AZ) would end up having to financially support many thousands of dependent children and uneducated women who are only qualified to perform minimum-wage jobs. The polygamist lifestyle this population practices doesn’t condone women working for pay unless they were found to be infertile or have aged beyond their fertile years.

Everyone has to eat and have a roof over their head and these families are really HUGE!

This is not usually the case with the garden-variety American legally married couple who may end up divorcing.