Ugly economic times can lead to ugly divorces

[Pale Blue Dot]

"Recession has always been a factor raising divorce rates," explains University of Chicago Business School economist Gary Becker. In fact, based on studies Nobel prize winner Becker conducted back in 1977 and published in the Journal of Political Economy, couples that experience any sudden significant and unexpected change in income — positive or negative — are at risk of divorce.

In Michigan, where unemployment is highest in the country, at 8.5 percent in May according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it's been especially hard to break up.

Jane Fahey, a financial and retirement planner in East Lansing, reports that some of her middle-aged clients, both men and women, have had to move back in with their parents.

A couple's house is usually the biggest marital asset, and the lousy real estate market and soft economy are complicating the matter of dividing it equitably in a divorce.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25625023/

I'm not sure I understand... Michigan doesn't allow gay marriage... so what's causing these relationships to fail?

[bigscott]

1. Finn, GET A CLUE!

Gay marriage is legal in TWO states now - it affect EVERYONE!

Married gay people from Mass and California are OBVIOUSLY going to Michigan and ruining EVERYTHING for the heteros!

:sarcasm:

peace

[Romulox]

2. It's unbelievable that you can take a story about the state with the worst economy in the nation

And turn it into a dig about gay marriage (which are not acknowledged in 48 of 50 states.) :eyes:

[Pale Blue Dot]

3. It's called sarcasm.

I thought it was fairly obvious.

[Romulox]

5. It's in extremely poor taste. nt

[Pale Blue Dot]

7. It's a parody of the claim that RWers make that gay marriage threatens hetero marriage.

It's especially absurd when things that REALLY threaten marriage (like the economy) are caused by the RWers themselves.

I can't believe that we've reached a point on this website where I have to explain and defend that.

[Romulox]

9. Right. And the suffering of the people of Michigan is a mere prop in your "joke"

Keep digging that hole.

[Obamarama]

15. Oh please....just stop now. I'm one of those "suffering Michiganians" and I'm not offended.

AND, I'm gay, TOO!

I thought it was very sarcastically funny. So THERE!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

19. ...

:applause:

[gatorboy]

32. I think Finn has a future in New Yorker covers.

[sudopod]

31. Thin skin is thin nt

[EstimatedProphet]

28. Are you kidding? Haven't you seen this place for the last 2 days?

EVERYTHING which is not entirely literally intended has to have the sarcasm smiley, or else it is clearly intended as a non-debatable fact.

DU is full of people who believe Landover Baptist Church and The Onion are real, serious webpages.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. no its not. your lack of humor and abiltiy to get sarcasm is ourstanding though.

[gratuitous]

4. It might have been a joke

But you never know. Guy probably works for The New Yorker or something. I'll alert the mods, don't worry!

[Romulox]

6. Did you hear the one about the homeless orphan? It's a side splitter!

Other people's suffering makes me feel better about my own life!

:sarcasm:

[gratuitous]

8. I suppose you think voting for Kodos is funny, too

Sheesh. Everyone knows that things have gotten so much better under Kang. Fully 32% more slaves are working themselves to death, and Kodos wouldn't have had the baser bodily organs to do that!

[Romulox]

10. Now *that* is funny. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

26. one can only hope the mods laugh at your alert. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

11. as a gay person, i recognize that as sarcasm. quite frankly so should you.

[Romulox]

13. Sigh. Being sarcasm doesn't immunize something from being in poor taste.

If I made a hateful comment about gay people, but then said "It was sarcasm, dummy!" (without even acknowledging an understanding of why what I said was offensive, btw!) would putting a "sarcasm" smiley make everything OK?

Something like: "Ca. has gay marriage, so why is their economy in the tank???" :sarcasm:

Nope. It would be an asinine statement on my part, crafted to lash out a third party for my own suffering, irrespective of whether or not it qualified as "sarcasm"

[La Lioness Priyanka]

17. its not hateful. it illustrate the bullshit right wing point that its gay marriage that threatens

straigh marriage.

[Romulox]

20. That bullshit RW point has NOTHING to do with unemployment in Michigan. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

21. it has everything to do with straight divorce. the fact that the RW ignores important

economic outcomes on both family and marriage while focussing on gays.

[sufrommich]

27. I'm in Michigan,what did the OP say that you would

consider hateful? It looked to me the the OP was pointing out the sad state of affairs here and using the gay marriage issue to highlight how screwed up the right is to consider it's passage in California an ominous turn of events while keeping their mouths shut about our(truly soul destroying) economic downfall.What didn't you get about it?

[EstimatedProphet]

29. Yes it would. It would be sarcasm.

You just gave an example of sarcasm. The real object that the point is directed at isn't the group defined by the point, it's the group that the point lampoons.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

18. you shouldnt blame other people because you have no understanding of sarcasm

[Midlodemocrat]

25. Going out on a limb here, but I'm pretty sure

Finnfan isn't the asshole in this thread.

But, hey, I mocked MI, so what do I know.

[Midlodemocrat]

24. FinnFan, I, for one, am appalled at your mocking of MI.

:rofl:

[Midlodemocrat]

23. Lighten up, Francis.

[Zuiderelle]

30. We should all turn everything in to digs about gay marriage. Maybe then it would become legal.

Did you really not recognize the sarcasm in what he said. Michigan has one of the worst economies in the nation, yes, and they also made gay marriage ILLEGAL, why? They should have better things to worry about.

By the way, there's a difference between not acknowledging gay marriage and making it illegal. Michigan voted to make it illegal. '

I think FinnFan's sarcasm is well-placed in this case. Marriages are hurt by the fucking Bush economy and not by gay marriage. I understood the sarcasm quite well.

[Lorien]

33. Well put. If anything, gay marriage can only HELP the economy

if Michigan would have legalized gay marriage instead of outlawing it, they would have seen a boost in tourism, catering, and every other service and expense involved in the production of wedding ceremonies-which often rival the cost of a new vehicle!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

34. Interesting choice of thing to get riled about.

[raccoon]

22. And in many cases, couples may stay together just because of ugly economic times,

because maybe they want to divorce but can't possibly make it financially if they divorced.