Editor, Gazette-Journal:

President Obama’s State of the Union concentrated on improving the life of the "average American"; pointing out that, as we well know, his lot is not an easy one. Two major resource shortfalls constrain the average American—money and time. Family cohesiveness is often compromised by the necessity for both parents to work. Ideally, the family would enjoy comfortable housing, money enough for food and even entertainment and vacations together … the lifestyle that we enjoyed in post-WWII America.

Our new enlightened view of family, with same-sex parents and third- and fourth-iteration stepparents, leads naturally to considering the next step: the polygamous family. It’s not a new idea, and has been used successfully by many tribes and cultures.

A family unit is formed by a group united, not unlike a small business, to carry on the continuation of the species. I don’t propose the alpha male/several wives model, but rather a group containing as many "workers" as required to provide the financial resources, and as many "homemakers" as required to run the household and to raise and educate the children. Men or women could serve in either role as suits their talents and inclinations.

To each individual, the remaining members would be his/her spouse, entitled to spousal rights of inheritance. Capitalizing on economies of scale, it should allow the family unit to enjoy the cohesiveness of bygone days while affording the demands of modern life.

John Sweeney

Cobbs Creek, Va.