The other day we played a card game called Class Struggle. I am less strategic than my kids about when to break a pair or play low. It means that I often slip to the bottom of the continually shifting ranking system, affectionately called Pond Scum. 

 

When you are scum, you begin the next round handing your best two cards to the player at the top, who trades for his or her lowest. The second highest and lowest players swap one card. The effect is that the people who are winning continue to float and the peons at the bottom sink lower. 

 

It reminds me of the phenomenon poignantly described in a recent article called Two Classes, Divided by "I Do".

It turns out that you get to boost economic stability, involved fathers, juvenile outcomes, physical well being, educational success and just plain happiness when you invest in strong marriage. That is a lot of bang for your altruistic buck. 

 

I don't give much to charities that target a medley of worthwhile causes. But when it comes to supporting marriage, my heart falls open.