It appears to be some kind of epidemic. U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, became the third of the four Livingston County lawmakers to file for divorce in the past seven months.
According to the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, Rogers is expected to file for divorce today from his wife of 17 years, Diane Rogers. Like his Republican colleagues in Livingston County, Rogers has made family values and defense of marriage part of his campaign. He voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment last July that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. The irony is he wants to deny other people the right to marry, but he squanders what he denies other people. Divorce is, unfortunately, a part of life with a 50 percent divorce rate, and being divorced does not make you a bad person, a bad spouse or disqualify you from holding public office. But, when you and your party claim to be the party of family values then it’s news.
According to the article, neither the congressman nor his wife would comment, other than to issue the following joint statement- most likely written by Press Secretary Sylvia Warner - "After working on our marriage for years, including marriage counseling, we have decided to separate. We do so with mutual respect and a commitment to friendship in the best interests of our children. We ask for respect of our family's privacy during this difficult time. We will have no further comment on this matter."
Rogers joins fellow Republican Chris Ward, R-Brighton, who was divorced in January, and in April his home that his three children and ex-wife lived in was foreclosed.
In November of last year, just days before the General Election, State Sen. Valde Garcia, R-Howell, was granted a divorce, but the news was not released until after the election. Garcia’s misfortune had a hypocritical bent because in 2004 he co-sponsored a package of defense of marriage bills, and at the time Garcia said he wanted to "slow down" divorce rates.
The only non-divorced Livingston County lawmaker is Rep. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg Township, but he’s currently single and never been married. However, that will change soon, and Hune is getting married soon. Considering he only has one more year left in the House before he’s term-limited he should fare better than his colleagues.
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