Same-Sex Marriage

 "Every single American-- gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender-- every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society."- President Barack Obama.

This quote is just a it's just a modern day expansion on the what the 14th amendment means.  What constitutes being treated equal? In the eyes of our society, it's treating all of the minorities mentioned above with the same respect that heterosexuals would expect to be treated with. In the eyes of the law, it means letting them have the exact same rights as heterosexuals. That means same-sex marriage. Not civil unions. Marriage.

There are quite a few reasons people have for being against same-sex marriage. However, every single one of them are disputable. First, any  reasons that are based on religion can be automatically invalidated. The separation of church and state guarantees that laws can't be passed based on any one religion. Every other argument is based on the idea that homosexuality is immoral, which some people try to approach from a non-religious point of view.

Some say that the purpose of man and woman is to procreate.  That's something that each person can take into consideration and determine if they agree or disagree. Still, that has nothing to do with marriage. A marriage is a union between two people... not a contract to conceive children. If we made it illegal for the infertile or people that can't afford children to get married, it would be a violation of their rights. If we made it illegal for incompatible couples or couples with large age gaps to get married, it wouldn't be fair. You can't just think something is wrong and then make it illegal.

Many people claim they shouldn't have to pay tax money for something that they believe is wrong.  These people are gigantic babies. There are people that think it's wrong for us to bomb other countries or supply financial aid to other countries.  There are millions of things that the government does that people find moral fault with. It's okay for you to think something is wrong but it isn't fair to prevent people from doing it. People need to stop being selfish and get over the assumption that the world should be their perfect dreamland fantasy cloud.

Of any argument against gay marriage, the famous "Slippery Slope" argument is the most ridiculous. "If we allow x, how long until y..." is the last and weakest resort that anyone can resort to because it can be hastily applied to any argument. "If we allow marijuana legalization, how long until the government allows meth to be purchased with food stamps?" Of course, that's completely ridiculous. Just because one thing is legalized, it doesn't mean a horde of semi-related things are automatically going to be considered okay. So when conservatives say, "Where does it end, soon we'll be allowing polygamy or a man to marry his swimming pool," they're only showing such a deep lack of understanding of the issue that they have to resort to scare-tactics to make sure people are still agreeing with them.

According to countless polls and statistics, public approval for legalizing gay marriage has gone way up in recent years.  Same-sex marriage in Indiana has been legal since October 7, 2014.In the last ten years, 35 states have legalized same-sex marriage, and it's expected that in the near future it will become legal nationwide.  Conservatives are running out of reasons to prevent this. In Hollingsworth v. Perry, a Justice asked, "Can you think of any rational basis, reason, for a state using sexual orientation as a factor in denying homosexual benefits or imposing burdens on them? Is there any other rational; decision-making that the government could make? Denying them a job, not granting them benefits of some sort, any other decision?" The attorney said no.

 

Illegal Immigration

    

To solve the immigration crisis, I think we need to make Mexico an official part of the United States.  Many people say that Mexico needs to solve it's own problems, but if people's lives are truly so awful there, and they're starving to death, I think we have a moral responsibility to help them.  Some racists claim that Hispanics are lazy or stupid, but all lives have worth and everyone has something to contribute. The people that are living is roofless huts and eating cockroaches for dinner would be able to get on welfare until they can find jobs and places to live.  The US can help Mexico become a more habitable place to live.

People that say Hispanics are worthless and we shouldn't help them are heartless.  People that say we give handouts to poor people and we don't need to expand on that are heartless.  

If this is too much of a stretch, the least we could do is try to help the Hispanics currently living in the US and support them in any way we can so they can get their citizenship.  If a person doesn't commit crimes and shows an authentic need for living in the US, there's no reason to kick them out.  Republicans should agree with this because it seems like something Jesus would do.

Quiz Results!

As far as I know my parents have always voted Republican. Before taking the test I identified myself as a liberal Democrat. I sided 92% with Green Party, 90% with Democrats, and 5% Republican. It was somewhat a surprise because I don't even know what the Green Party is. The most important issues to me are legalizing things like same-sex marriage, marijuana, and euthanasia; and improving the rights of the underprivileged.

28th Amendment!

 The 28th Amendment should abolish the death penalty nationally. The Death Penalty Abolition Amendment has been proposed in 1990, 1992, 1993, and 1995. The judicial system already punishes people of color harsher than whities, but when the sentence is life or death, we can not continue to use a system that is even slightly biased.  There are countless good proposals for the 28th (equal rights, drug laws, controlling congress, controlling the budget) but this is an amendment that would save lives.

Alcohol, Voting, Military, and Drug Laws

     Having the drinking be set at 21 is just begging young adults to break the law.  Even though heavy drinking can cause developmental problems in teens, 18 year-olds are classified as adults and they should know their limits and behave responsibly.  Smoking tobacco is more harmful and more addictive, but it's legal when alcohol is not.  Law enforcement should crack down on people who drink and drive, become abusive when they drink, or sell to people under 18; if you're 18 you should be able to purchase and consume whatever you want. 

     It's outrageous that marijuana is still illegal in the U.S. when alcohol isn't.  Marijuana is used to treat symptoms of multiple illnesses and is less addictive than many other pain-relievers.  The only reason some consider it to be a gateway drug is because it's still illegal.  When something is illegal and people do it anyway, they're more likely to move on to other illegal drugs.  It's not a gateway drug, it's a gateway crime. Decriminalizing marijuana would help the economy if we tax it, keep people out of jail, and benefit people that need it for medical reasons. As for other drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, meth, or anything else considered harmful, there should be a required rehabilitation system for abusers instead of jail.  People that only purchase the drugs and are addicted to them don't deserve to be punished, they deserve treatment.  They should still have their kids taken from them until they're clean, but jail doesn't help anyone, it only makes the situation worse.

     The voting age should stay at 18 as long as 18 year-olds are considered adults.  Everyone deserves to be represented, so it isn't fair to say that people should pass a test before they can vote.  Yes, it is incredibly stupid and unforgivable to not know how many states we have, but a lot of old people that vote know much less than some teens and no one questions whether or not they can vote.  Also, it's important to know things about our country, but I think those clueless people that can't even recognize a picture of our vice-president can be technically stupid but still know who they want in office. The military age should be 18 because 18 is old enough to know what you want to do or the rest of your life.  If it isn't, then why does everyone expect college students to know what they want to pay thousand of dollars to learn? It's time for everyone to recognize 18 year-olds as adults and let them do want they want.

    

Emergency Contraception!!

Emergency contraception is safe when taken properly, so the government has no right to place restrictions on it.  Those that aren't old enough to consent to sex obviously shouldn't need the pill, but there are unfortunate circumstances in which it may be their only hope.  It's ridiculous that a young girl who's been raped should have to have an abortion or worse, carry out a pregnancy when she isn't physically or mentally capable.  Placing restrictions on birth control or abortions endangers women.  The girl in Indianapolis who had to have an unsafe, illegal abortion is only one example. The pills alter a person's body and the buyer needs to be aware of any possible health risks, but banning the pill for minors isn't fair.

Gay Marriage!

      Conservatives are running out of excuses to keep gay marriage illegal.  There is no reason that homosexuality is wrong besides "Jesus said so!" Breaking news: Jesus has literally no say in our laws. Religion is a significant part of society and very important to many people, but it has absolutely no place in politics. 
     It's astounding to think that people today still think that not everyone deserves the same rights.  I imagine that people against gay marriage are the same type of people that were against freeing the slaves and women voting. If I can marry a man and a person with a penis can't, that is a direct violation of the 14th Amendment, there's no way around it.

Cruel and Unusual Punishment!

I think that the death penalty, solitary confinement, and psychological torture are all direct violations of the 8th Amendment.  Inflicting violence onto others sets a horrible example and the government should find other ways to punish or interrogate criminals/terrorists.  Many claim that psychological torture is worse than physical, so methods like sensory deprivation, collaring, phobia exposure, stimulated drowning or the such should absolutely be outlawed.  Long-term solitary confinement psychologically damages criminals and in some cases they are released from prison even more dangerous than they were upon entering.  It is an ineffective and unjust punishment.  The death penalty should never be used as a punishment because it is a biased and cruel system that doesn't even lower the crime rate, and in some cases the slaughtered are proven innocent after the execution.  The death penalty, solitary, and torture are three terrible systems that our country can definitely do without.  Reserving the death penalty for criminals who have been proven guilty by DNA testing, putting a limit on the amount of time a person spends in solitary, and moving towards more humane methods of persuasion are fantastic ways to improve these practices if we can't eradicate them entirely.

Gun Control!

I think that instead of banning guns, regulating who can and cannot buy guns will be more effective in preventing massacres such as Sandy Hook and Columbine.  It's impossible to eliminate 100% of gun violence, but by requiring background checks and thorough psychological tests, surely we can lessen the number of armed psychos.  Also, gun licenses should expire after a certain amount of time; many people buy lifetime carry cards and later develop disorders that can make them a danger to themselves and others.  Half of America thinks we should ban all guns for everyone and the other half thinks anyone should be able to by a gun for self defense and sport.  Surely we can agree on a compromise to keep our schools and streets as safe as possible without altering our rights. 

WBC

Hate groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church should never be allowed to protest a funeral.  They use the word "Church" in there name to hide behind religious freedom laws, and then pick and choose the parts of the bible that they want to follow while blatantly ignoring the parts that condemn themselves.  Groups that are legally recognized as hate groups should only be allowed to protest a person's funeral on their own property. Freedom of religion and speech laws were not created to encourage or allow the spreading of hate, and they should never be an excuse for harassment.  Bullying in schools has become a national issue since bullying has been proven to cause emotional and mental heath problems that can lead to permanent issues and in some cases suicide (especially in LGTB youth).  The government should set an example by holding these people accountable for their harmful actions.  It's important that everyone's voice and opinions can be heard, but when a group exists solely to hurt others, they shouldn't be allowed to hide behind the 1st Amendment.