Old news: In 2000, over 61 percent of the California electorate
approved Proposition 22. I like propositions I can read,
understand, and agree within every particular. Prop 22 was easy; it
was just 14 words long:
”
Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized
in California.
”
Old news: In 2000, over 61 percent of the California electorate approved Proposition 22. I like propositions I can read, understand, and agree within every particular. Prop 22 was easy; it was just 14 words long: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”
The wording of this proposition is probably derived from the wording in Black’s Law Dictionary: “Marriage. Legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife.” It is all very easy to understand, to anyone who knows what the meaning of “is” is. Unfortunately, four judges of the California Supreme Court in San Francisco overturned the people’s vote and declared a “right” for homosexual couples to marry. Gay rights activists have been remarkably successful in couching their agenda in terms of “rights.” As Americans, we are easily swayed by arguments in favor of rights.
But is marriage a right? Does anyone have the “right” to marry the one he loves? Far from it. I love my sons and daughter, my parents, my sisters and brothers-in-law, my dog and one of my cats, and most of my students. I cannot marry any of them. In order to marry, both parties (and that is not all three parties, nor all four, but only both) must be unrelated to a specified degree, human, of age, unmarried, of sound mind, willing, and, oh, yes, of opposite genders.
Marriage is more of a responsibility, a limitation, an obligation. We agree to love, honor and cherish, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, till death does us part, forsaking all others. We do this, calling on God as our witness, in order to provide a stable home for the rearing of any children that might ensue. And, as statistics overwhelmingly show, children reared in stable homes fare far better than children raised in broken or never-married homes.
Homosexual unions are not going to engender children accidentally. Nor do most homosexuals wish to forsake all others: 85 percent of gays surveyed after “marrying” in Massachusetts, stated that their “marriage” would not be sexually exclusive. Nor does marriage confer any particular economic advantage. When my husband and I married 25 years ago, our tax burden increased substantially. And who has not heard of senior citizens reluctant to marry because they will lose monetary benefits?
There are no privileges unique to marriage. If a non-married couple wants to guarantee hospital visitation, they have but to file a durable power of attorney. Inheritance? A will. Real estate? Joint tenancy. Custody? Adoption. Anyone who did his or her own taxes this year should have noticed that in California the word “spouse” on the state income tax form was replaced with “Spouse/RDP,” indicating that Registered Domestic Partners are equal to married couples in the eyes of the state franchise board.
Relatively new news: In an effort to return to the traditional definition of marriage, 1.1 million registered voters in California signed a petition to put Proposition 8 on the ballot. Prop 8 adds to the California state constitution the same 14 simple words previously approved by the electorate: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”
During the Prop 22 election cycle, “Yes on 22” yard signs were stolen, torn down, and defaced by cowards who thought their “right” to marry trumped other people’s rights to free speech. We can expect more of the same. Gay rights activists sought to have Prop 8 removed from the ballot before it could even be brought to a vote. Public employee unions, Service Employees International Union-California and the California Teachers Association, have donated half a million and a quarter million dollars, respectively, to the No on 8 campaign.
I sincerely doubt that all their members support gay marriage. It is difficult to see any connection between right to work issues and gay marriage. PG&E donated $250,000 to the No on 8 campaign, and raised the price of energy. I know that some of PG&E’s customers oppose gay marriage, but no one asked our permission.
November 4th we will have an opportunity to restore traditional marriage. Vote YES on Proposition 8.
