This past week, Governor Christie (rightly) vetoed the assembly passed Gay Marriage bill that started it way through law-making process. What the governor has succeeded in doing is to set up a confrontation with a Democrat-controlled legislature that has vowed to eventually get the bill into law. The General Assembly on Thursday passed the measure, which the Senate had approved Monday. Our lawmakers have until the legislative session ends in January 2014 to override Christie’s veto. They would need a two-thirds majority in both houses to succeed – and apparently they have it (maybe).
The governor is not being a Neanderthal about this. Put aside the fact that he is a Catholic, he also sees this as a white-hot issue, hat according to him “should not be decided by 121 people in the statehouse in Trenton.” Christie thinks this should come to a ballot question in November. I agree. This needs to be placed on the ballot questionnaire and have a simple majority decide. Trust me, it’s not as “locked up” as it once seemed to be in New Jersey. There is a whole crop of youth coming up on voting that may send this one in favor of the Left.
I’m of the mindset that whatever goes on in a bedroom, well, it just goes on in a bedroom. I could care less. When it spills into the classrooms, that’s where we draw the line. I don’t think a child should be influenced by a gay teacher preaching “tolerance” all in the name of a gay agenda no more than a straight teacher hs the right to preach that a gay lifestyle is immoral or wrong. However, I’m also of the belief that it’s man and woman and that’s what constitutes a marriage. I’m not a canonist or an authority of what God believes is a marriage. I believe that there are happier same-sex couples as well has better same-sex parents out there but I also cannot get past that this would set off a fire storm of mockery and clog up the courts for decades to come. People will want to start marrying pets and then bigamy will be challenged.
I’ve said from the start, that civil unions are the way to go. It’s a legal standpoint. The gay-movement will not beat out the churches that will oppose an marriage ceremony. No. Not happening. Again, when it comes to who is stopping who and where, I don’t care. So if the left wants to define the parameters of what constitutes a marriage from a union, they only have to look this far – here is the breakdown.
Medical Decisions:
Marriage: Partners can make emergency medical decisions.
Civil Unions: Partners can only make medical decisions in the registered state. Partners may not be able to make decisions out of state.
Gifts:
Marriage: Partners can transfer gifts to each other without tax penalty.
Civil Unions: Partners do not pay state taxes, but are required to report federal taxes.
Death Benefits:
Marriage: In the case of a partner’s death, the spouse receives any earned Social Security or veteran benefits.
Civil Unions: Partners do not receive Social Security or any other government benefits in case of death. In the case of the death of former Congressman Gary Stubbs his partner of 15 years was denied the government pension that would have gone to a legally recognized spouse.
Child/Spousal Support:
Marriage: In case of divorce, individuals may have a legally-binding financial obligation to spouses and children.
Civil Unions: In the case of a breakup no such spousal or child benefits are guaranteed or required out of state.
Immigration Rights:
Marriage: U.S. citizens and legal residents can sponsor their spouses and family members for immigration.
Civil Unions: U.S. citizens and legal residents cannot sponsor non-legal spouses or family members.
I say we take it a step further..Get Gov out of the marriage business all together…if people want to be enter into a standard civil union contract, fine..if you want to get married go to you church/place of worship and get married.
“I don’t think a child should be influenced by a gay teacher preaching ‘tolerance’ all in the name of a gay agenda…” Are you serious? This “tolerance” you mock is an incredibly crucial part of a child’s education. Ignorance brings hate; tolerance and acceptance of others must be taught. The gay rights issue is comparable to the plight of African-Americans and anti-gay legislation is the modern equivalent of the Jim Crow laws. Besides prohibiting gay marriage, some states have “Right to Refuse Service” laws that allow businesses to refuse to serve homosexuals. Jim Crow Law. Some Catholic schools deny students whose parents are gay. Jim Crow Law. Some states even deny gay couples the ability to adopt because of their sexual orientation. How is it fair to tell two people who love each other, who want a family together, that they can’t have one? It is not! Also, homosexuals are not federally protected from harassment in the workplace; workers are protected based on sex or race, but not sexual orientation. Ultra-conservative, narrow-minded Catholics are creating second-class citizens in America. Looking back, most people are disgusted and ashamed of how society and the government held African-Americans to second-class citizens, denying them the rights and liberties that would make them free and happy. Fifty years from now, children reading their history textbooks will be disgusted and ashamed of how ultra-conservative Catholics kept homosexuals down. There is great irony in the fact that the nation that prides itself on providing freedom and liberty to its citizens denies the freedom to choose with whom one wants to marry to those whose choice happens to be of the same sex. As for your comment that “People will want to start marrying pets…” that is a disgusting and annoying exaggeration. Comparing homosexuality to bestiality is absurd. It is quite obvious that one cannot have an even slightly comparable relationship with an animal as with a fellow human. Perhaps you should stop looking through your shockingly narrow lens and think about how those whose right to marry the person they love has been denied feel.