That issue is separate from the general abortion debate, as evidenced by Democratic senators like Daschle voting for the ban. But on the overall issue, the mainstream position is not one that looks upon this practice favorably. Newsweek’s latest poll found 58% of Americans don’t consider it to be okay. Gay rights is another big issue for Beth. Again, there are gay speakers at the GOP convention and in the party, but we don’t identify people based on what they are but rather as individuals. Beth didn’t like to use the word “marriage” for what she’d like to see for same-sex couples but rather wanted to see them get equal treatment on heath insurance, end-of-life decision-making power, etc.
To me, this is not a liberal or conservative issue. Marriage is not a vehicle to gifts – except on the wedding day. It disparages everyone’s love to talk about it that way. We don’t get married to get insurance or entitlements. We all get married for other reasons. The ideal reasons are love, the desire to start a family and share your life with your soul mate and make the most of it. Heterosexual people who get married have done it in spite of the so-called marriage penalty, which was only recently eliminated from the tax code. Once again, the left has exploited and made some people in society feel fearful in order to advance their big-government agenda. They like to make it out that gays are being deprived of necessary life benefits because of their not being allowed to marry. But the way the debate is framed, it’s just an end-run around individualism. All this and more Beth, in the audio links below…