The idea that marriage is something special is really a silly one. Marriage maybe involved in religion, but in all reality the two are completely unrelated. After the ceremony and everyone has said their “I do’s,” the couple rarely sees their minister, priest or rabbi again. Marriage has never truly been about religion, it has always really been about economics. An example of this is the real controversy of gay marriage, which this past week, on May 15, the California Supreme Court ruled that the state has no right to ban homosexual, or gay, marriage.
In the last decade it has been becoming a hot-button topic that has been popularized by many major media outlets, such as CNN, Fox News and NBC. In most states marriage is defined as the legal union between a man and a woman. Most Americans are flat out opposed to the idea of gay marriage. According a Gallup Poll released on May 15, "Even as a majority of Americans believe homosexuality ought to be an ‘acceptable alternative lifestyle,’ only 40% currently say marriage between same-sex couples should be legal; 56% disagree."
Historically, marriage has always been a religious contract between a man and a woman, because that union would more likely render children. In a same-sex relationship it is biologically impossible because both parties have the same sex organs. Usually when a man marries a woman he would receive a dowry from her family, making marriage to be really more of a financial transaction. A man could marry many times over his lifetime because many women would die during childbirth, and thus receive many dowries.
Times haven't changed much since then. Marriage is really an economic contract masquerading as a religious union, though it is rare to have a dowry, except for the one the government gives married couples. When individuals marry one another, usually they file both federal and state joint income taxes, and claim the other person on liability insurances that they may have, such as life and medical insurance. The media will have you believe that most of the people objecting to gay marriage just hate homosexuals or are crazy religious zealots. There are those people who are simply hateful of homosexuals, but the truth of the matter is that those people are really hiding the real reason why people don't accept gay marriage and that reason is economics.
The reason that gay marriage should not be approved or passed is not because anyone really cares what people are doing in the privacy of their homes. That is not anyone’s business, except for the occupants of that home. No, gay marriage should not be approved because it may force an increase in state income taxes and the cost of insurance statewide. Such increases could be very hard for any individual because they will have to bare the blunt of an increase in taxes and insurance rates.
With a downward spiraling economy and the increasing cost of living within California, an increase on taxes and insurance would push both individuals and businesses out of the state. According an article release by he New York Times on May 16, there are only 110,000 same-sex couples living within California.
In a state with a population in the multiple millions, why should it overturn its laws for such a small group? The same group voted on the subject and said no to higher taxes, but not to homosexuals. If gay marriage were to become legitimate it would be overturning the will of the people who passed a law to outlaw it within the state. By the State Supreme Court overturning the will of the people means nothing and is really just saying that only the politicians get to make these decisions.
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