With this being such a hot topic it seems unavoidable that I would put in my two cents.
I’m sure many of you have head the news this morning that the proposed amendment to the constitution banning gay marriage was shot down by the Senate. This, imho, is good news. Why you ask? Well, here’s my three biggest reasons:
- I’m a libertarian and quite frankly I just don’t care what gay people do, and I think they should be able to do as they please as long as it does not hurt anyone else.
- I feel there is a strong economic reason to allow gay marriage. Over the last few years there has been a big push to make it illegal for employers to discriminate between domestic partnerships and marriages. Some states have already enacted such laws an no doubt a few more will cave on this issue soon. I am dead set against treating domestic partnerships like marriages. Why? Simple, if every employer had to give domestic partners all of the benefits that individual or married couples get they would soon find expenses going out of control and thus cut back on EVERYONE’s benefits. This is especially true of health insurance as it is the biggest benefit cost of most employers. And I feel, again imho, that more people would form domestic partnerships just to get these benefits than would if there was nothing to gain by it. Also, domestic partnerships and marriages DO NOT have the same level of commitment to them legally. In a divorce you can get hurt much more than in a domestic partnership breakup.
Because of this, I feel that it would be better to let gay marriages occur and continue to deny domestic partners all of the same benefits of married couples. Only those willing to commit to a marriage and the legal responsibilities that go with it should gain the benefits of marriage. And if you allow gay marriage it provides a better argument for not allowing domestic partnerships and the problems that come with them.
- The only reason they can come up with for denying gay marriage is a religious moral reason. Last I checked we practiced many religions in this country, some with completely different moral stances. Our constitution, and the laws built on it, are based more on ethics than morals. And I cannot find any ethical reason why gay people shouldn’t marry. At least one Republican still gets it, and Senator McCain is one of the few Republicans I can still admire (personally, I think he should have been in the White House and NOT Bush).
Well, that’s my humble opinion on the subject, take it for what it’s worth. I’m sure it will make a few people hate me, but that wouldn’t be the first time.