November Ballot Issues

Warning, this is going to get political.

November 8th is an election day, or at least a day to get out and vote. (notice I don't say get out the vote, I'll rant about that later.*) Among several proposed constitutional ammendments is one that will indeed get me to the ballot box. Proposition 2.

Ballot Language"The constitutional amendment providing that marriage in this state consists only of the union of one man and one woman and prohibiting this state or a political subdivision of this state from creating or recognizing any legal status identical or similar to marriage."

"Enmienda constitucional que dispone que en este estado el matrimonio consiste exclusivamente en la unión de un hombre y una mujer y que desautoriza, en este estado o en alguna subdivisión política del mismo, la creación o el reconocimiento de cualquier estatus jurídico idéntico o semejante al matrimonio."

Brief Explanation: HJR 6 would provide that marriage in Texas is solely the union of a man and woman, and that the state and its political subdivisions could not create or recognize any legal status identical to or similar to marriage, including such legal status relationships created outside of Texas.

OK, I'm officially going onto my soapbox, and I'm fairly sure I'll be offending people. I can't believe the homophobes in Austin actually believe that gay marriage is a threat to marriage. How? I don't get it. Are you about to leave your spouse because a gay couple has moved in across the street, and what? Why is this such a hot button issue? Some may argue biblical precidence. Well, thank God for separation of church and state. If your moral base is religious, and your religion doesn't tolerate gay marriage, then don't marry a same sex partner in that church. But don't tell me or my friends that they don't have the right simply because you find it morally offensive. Yes, I consider myself Christian. I even read the bible from time to time. In our country, as great as it's supposed to be, we still feel the need to tell people what they can and can't do in their own bedrooms. I liken this to state mandated birth control, number of children we are allowed to have, school prayer (ooh, another think I think is wrong if it's mandatory and the time comes out of classroom teaching time) and here's a great one, interracial marriage, segregation. In honor of Rosa Parks, let's bring segregation into this. Is it wrong? Of course it's wrong.

I think that there is a crisis in our country regarging marriage. I think marriage is in danger. It's not in danger from gays and lesbians, it's in danger from prople who don't take it seriously, who get married for frivolous reasons and have it annulled hours later, or who only get married because somebody got pregnant. How many marriages currently end in divorce? I'm not sure what the exact ratio is, but it's high. Why would allowing same sex marriage make this worse? If anything, I think it would help create more stable families and marriages, because if two people have been waiting for years, decades to get married, they might just be a little more committed. We as heterosexuals take our right to be married for granted, and therefore are more complacent about it. I guess the analogy that's coming to mind is about voting rights. A recently made citizen is more likely to turn out at the polls, but most of the citizens born in this country just skip election days and don't vote. In fact, that's what I'm hoping will happen on November 8th. I'm hoping that the likely majority of voters in Texas stay home, thinking that they've already got the ballot in the bag, and the rest of us who are outraged by such a hideous proposition will create a storm of like-minded voters. If you support this measure, then use your right to be disenfranchised, and go grab a burger and a beer. Don't vote. If you feel the way I do, then get the heck to the polls and VOTE.

* I don't like the phrase get out the vote because it sounds like you are trying to get rid of the vote, and it's poor English to boot. Makes our country seem illiterate.