(no subject)
The last couple days I've been pondering the way "we" approach hot-button issues as a country.
Gay marriage - in the debate, it's all about sexual orientation. I've said it before and I'll say it again (even though I'm really opposed to government sanctioned marriage anyway) - I think it should be a sex issue. Think about it for a moment: the discrimination at its core is because of the sex of the spouse. Sex is a protected class, even if sexual orientation is not a completely accepted one yet. If someone would stand up and make that argument - that they are being denied benefits of whatever sort based on sex - it could change the argument and possibly move things along more effectively. It doesn't require the overturning of precedent or establishing a new precedent. Rather, it takes an existing right and applies it where it should be.
Taxes - Warren Buffett was one of the hot topics on the net today, thanks to his op-ed about taxing the rich. Some conservative talking heads (Pat Buchanan, Michele Bachmann, etc) are telling him to "write a check" and others are still clinging to the idea of a "fair tax" or "flat tax" system. The thing they miss is something Buffett wrote in that piece: the uber-wealthy to whom he is referring are paying taxes at a lower rate than most of the middle class. Buffett's 17.4% is well below my 25%. And corporations - well GE had that beautiful 0% that made headlines this year. The system needs to be fixed, and indeed part of that is to stop "coddling the rich". Eliminate the breaks and loopholes that allow this to happen. It won't solve all the problems, but hell it will be a big step in the right direction. It's not necessarily about "raising taxes" or trying to punish the wealthy. It's actually about doing what they say they want done: a fairer system.
Gay marriage - in the debate, it's all about sexual orientation. I've said it before and I'll say it again (even though I'm really opposed to government sanctioned marriage anyway) - I think it should be a sex issue. Think about it for a moment: the discrimination at its core is because of the sex of the spouse. Sex is a protected class, even if sexual orientation is not a completely accepted one yet. If someone would stand up and make that argument - that they are being denied benefits of whatever sort based on sex - it could change the argument and possibly move things along more effectively. It doesn't require the overturning of precedent or establishing a new precedent. Rather, it takes an existing right and applies it where it should be.
Taxes - Warren Buffett was one of the hot topics on the net today, thanks to his op-ed about taxing the rich. Some conservative talking heads (Pat Buchanan, Michele Bachmann, etc) are telling him to "write a check" and others are still clinging to the idea of a "fair tax" or "flat tax" system. The thing they miss is something Buffett wrote in that piece: the uber-wealthy to whom he is referring are paying taxes at a lower rate than most of the middle class. Buffett's 17.4% is well below my 25%. And corporations - well GE had that beautiful 0% that made headlines this year. The system needs to be fixed, and indeed part of that is to stop "coddling the rich". Eliminate the breaks and loopholes that allow this to happen. It won't solve all the problems, but hell it will be a big step in the right direction. It's not necessarily about "raising taxes" or trying to punish the wealthy. It's actually about doing what they say they want done: a fairer system.