The Marriage Issue
Marriage is between a man and a woman. I do not support gay marriage, nor do I support civil unions.
The ultra-libertarian views of the 20-year incumbent favor civil unions on the basis of “live and let live.” I reject this reasoning because we as a society have set and need to set limits on individual liberties on the basis of societal values. Two examples of where our society has set limits on individual liberties are polygamy (which is outlawed) and public nudity (which has been limited). It could be argued that neither of those practices infringe upon the rights of others and yet as a society we have decided that the practices should be limited.
The issue of gay marriage has been left up to the states and many states are wrestling with this issue through legislation, legal process and referendums. Citizens, not legislators, in many states, including left-leaning California and Oregon (and most recently Maine), have passed amendments or referendums banning gay marriage. Texas passed its amendment with 76% supporting the ban. The current federal tax code discriminates based on marital status and I would support amending the tax code so tax rates are standard across the board for the same income, regardless of family status. Today, two high-earning single people pay less tax than two high-earning married people pay. Both should pay the same lower rate.
I would defend any person’s right to assign their healthcare decisions to a person of their choice. However, I do not support forcing companies to offer domestic partner benefits. Companies should be free to make their own choice. This leads into the whole issue of health insurance, so for more of my views on the healthcare issue, please refer to that section of the site.
