Same-Sex Marriage – Cluttering Up Our Constitution

The war of words is underway in Minnesota (and many other states across the country) as ballots will soon give voters the choice on whether to establish a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. Most ballot initiatives go something like this: “Do you favor a constitutional amendment that will ban same-sex marriage?” Unfortunately, very few voters recognize this question as a false dichotomy. In other words, it's a question that has at least three valid answers but only allows two options for answering. My wife and I used to give our children false dichotomies all the time. We'd ask, “Do you want to go to bed by yourself, or do you want me to carry you to bed?” That worked really well until they were about ten, when they first recognized there was a third option we weren’t giving them – not going to bed at all.

So what are the three valid answers to the same-sex marriage amendment?

1.) Yes, I favor same-sex marriage and vote against the amendment.

2.) No, I oppose same-sex marriage and vote in favor of the amendment.

3.) I oppose same-sex marriage, but I also oppose changing the constitution.

This third group is in an unusual position of having to choose which is worse, allowing same sex marriage or changing the constitution.

Same-Sex Marriage – A Political Game

I’ve never understood why Republicans tend to oppose same sex marriage and Democrats tend to favor it. What is it in the political credos of these two parties that require them to take these positions? Actually nothing. The primary focus of American politics today is not about what’s best for the American people; it’s about retaining or gaining power. In the very troubled economic times we live in today, why is same sex marriage such a big deal that there is media coverage of the issue virtually every day? A vote one way versus the other won't give us more jobs, reduce the national debt, or increase gross national product. Why do we focus so much energy on issues that have nothing whatsoever to do with the main issues of the day? The answer is simple, the politics of power.

Sure, the economy is more important than same sex marriage, virtually everyone agrees with that. But there are no solutions to our economic woes that will get anyone elected or help anyone stay in power. To solve our long term economic woes, we either have to raise revenues (i.e. more taxes), reduce spending (i.e. cut funding to all the grand entitlement programs that got most of our national leaders elected in the first place), or, heaven forbid, a little of both. No matter which side a politician takes, he alienates half the American voters, and if he’s dumb enough to advocate the one solution most likely to do good, a little of each, then he alienates everyone. Taking a stand on the economy is simply bad politics, unless all one does is talk in absurdly vague generalities.