- Joined
- Jan 27, 2013
- Messages
- 28,822
- Reaction score
- 20,495
- Location
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Conservative
I suggest less Sturm und Drang is in order. The question is not some great policy decision but whether one Senator supports gay marriage. Senator Portman is entitled to the benefit of the doubt whether he would, if he were POTUS, approach a great public policy decision differently. On questions like gay rights and abortion many people form their personal opinions based on real life experiences and relationships, and I'm not sure that's not healthier than slavish adherence to abstract principle.
Good afternoon 2M - I stand by my comments, particularly considering the context in which Senator Portman made his comments and his direct association to the current case before the Supreme Court related to California's Proposition 8 - that makes it a relevant policy issue and not just a personal one.
People seem to think that I somehow don't support gay marriage simply because I don't support Senator Portman's decision that gay marriage was bad until his son wanted to marry his gay partner, now it's good. I never had a problem with it - moreover, I don't think the government should be involved in any marriage - gay, straight, polygamy or whatever anyone else can think up.
The sooner governments got out of the business of socially engineering society through tax and benefit policy based on the "status" of a citizen's personal dynamic, the better off society will be.