From Robert Whitcomb's "Digital Diary,'' in GoLiocal24.com:

Obviously this is a very personal matter but I can’t help saying  that I wish that Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza would marry  his girlfriend Stephanie Gonzalez, with whom he is having a baby. Marriage is obviously no panacea for society’s ills but the fact is the obligations associated with the institution are stabilizing forces for individuals and society, especially because they help  to legally protect children. And parents’ failure to wed is correlated with high poverty rates, crime and other social function. You can see the effects of the rise of “illegitimacy’’ around America, especially in inner cities and in poor rural areas. I wish that the mayor and his girlfriend would set a good example  for the citizenry –especially young people – and get married. You could look at marriage as the smallest unit of go vernment. Without it, you’re spawning anarchy.