Could it also be related to poorer parents working more hours, thus having less time to be with the kids during their early years

There are probably dozens of measurable ways being poor affects the development of brains. But ultimately, it's happening because that's the way the people at the very top in terms of wealth and power want it. The last think they want is for poor people to suddenly become successful, and develop political power.

One of the side-effects of the New Deal and the labor movement in America is that a bunch of people who were on the shitty side of the street suddenly were able to take a big step up. GIs coming out of WW2 who would normally have gone to work in the coal mine or slaughter house suddenly had the means to go to college, buy a house, live a life of reasonable comfort. And do you know what they did with this sudden shift in circumstances? They developed political power. Their kids went from blue collar to white collar. And similar steps up during the pre and post-war period occurred for women and American blacks.

And this scared the bejeesus out of the elite. So, in the 70s, and peaking in the 80s, there came an effort to undo these advancements. The effort included an attack on New Deal programs like Social Security and the labor movement. The effort included the flooding of the inner city with crack cocaine (which we now know to have been run by our own government). The effort included the confluence of evangelical religion with supply-side capitalism by Billy Graham (who started his ministry with funds from the Chamber of Commerce).

The effort to put the genie back in the bottle continues to this day, and it's been quite successful. Economic disparity hasn't been this out of whack since the 19th century. Militarized policing, private prisons, an attack on public education are all fronts in this class war being waged by the elite. You want to see it in action, watch the political policies being pushed by governors of Kansas, Indiana, and many states throughout the South and in big cities in the North. Just watch.

But you feel entitled to tell people how they should act and whether they should grovel in front of your imaginary buddy?

That country is fucked up.

Nope, just that it makes them look for outlets. If legal, great, if not, well, hormones beat laws.

When their privacy is violated, it makes headlines.

When they violate ours, it's business as usual.

Poor people crack me up. You really waited?

Why the fuck do people put up with that shit? Even in Commieland they eventually said "enough, no more queuing up for nothing!"

Yeah, you could go without sex. Let's take a look at the Catholic Priests and see just how well that works.

If they are open to the general public it ain't so clean cut.

Your home, yes. No questions about it. If you don't want any gays, Jews, blacks or Christians in your home, there's nothing anyone could say. I'd still consider you an asshole for discriminating people for something they have little control over (well, except the Christian maybe), but it's your private space and it should be your prerogative to decide who may and may not enter it.

It's different if we're dealing with a place that can (and by its very definition and the general idea behind it should) be frequented by visitors and other strangers you have no direct connection to, i.e. a business. What do you think would happen if someone made a "White only" restaurant? Or how about "Muslim only"? Think that would sit well?

Why? Why do they have "the right not to be mocked"? Does that idiot that searches corn circles while wearing a tinfoil hat so he won't be controlled by the Illuminati have the right not to be mocked?

I'm forced to live among people who have imaginary friends, and not only that, they let their imaginary friend dictate what they can do and who they may speak with! Where's my right to be left alone by those loonies?

Well, Jesus ate with lepers... and unlike them, the gay ain't infectious...

But then again, how could I expect Jesus to be considered a role model by bigoted assholes?

The problem is that it doesn't work both ways. Even if I'm not into your imaginary buddy up on the cloud you may still stuff his idiocy down my throat.

OK, when you put it like that it sounds pretty awesome. And delicious.

I'll bring the sauce, aloe vera and skin graft kit.

I take it you don't use a charcoal barbecue

I'm not sure how you do it where you're from, but up here in the North we generally don't barbecue from 30 feet away.

Is anything legal in California these days?

Medical marijuana, gay marriage, conceal/carry.

Say you're not really pissed that fucking flamethrowers aren't legal there, are you? I don't know if you've gotten a look at your fellow man in the United States lately, but are these really people you want to be able to have flamethrowers? Geez, louise, there can't be more than maybe 1 in 100 that I think should be allowed to drive a car. Maybe 1 in 10 should be allowed to have shoelaces for chrissake.

Although I'm sure we can find someone reading this that believes "More flamethrowers = Less crime".