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Originally Posted by Pan6467
It's not rocket science. Gay men and women have lived in Bible Belt states probably as long as they have been states and before. They want to get married go to Mass. get married the state recognizes it, the fed government protects it... but you are not shoving it in people's faces. Whereas, you demand that Alabama makes it legal to perform the marriage and give out the certificates and you FORCE the will of probably less than a .5% of the state's population (that may want to participate in a gay marriage) on the rest of the people, you are going to get hatred.
No one wants to have views forced upon them. It's the exact same thing as if all of a sudden Roe V Wade was overturned and abortion was made illegal everywhere. Some communities would be happy, some extremely hostile. Same with Homosexual marriages as we are seeing, some communities extremely happy some extremely pissed off and saying Hell no.
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If it is deemed that gay marriage is a human/civil right, then it isn't simply forcing the will of 1% of the population onto others; it's enforcing the same rights already afforded the rest of the population. That's how rights work.
Geographic exceptions are no better than class, race, or gender exceptions. Rights are rights. Hatred be damned.
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To say "referendums don't work." I believe is wrong. I think when you allow communities and states to determine MORAL laws that it is easier to keep the union whole and people willing to compromise.
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Putting the question of moral law to referendums is a dangerous idea. Go ahead and ask the 100% population directly whether 1% of the population deserves something and you're going to get somewhat predictable results. And if the question is a question of human/civil rights, then a referendum is not the way to go. If they had put universal suffrage to a referendum (read: to men), then women would likely have never been able to vote.
Referendums only work on questions that affect/reflect the population relatively equally. You don't go to the majority to determine the outcome of minorities.
EDIT:
My thoughts on the core beliefs:
Illegal Aliens Are Here illegally. [Getting rid of them will eliminate a worker pool of low-wage earners and a sizable chunk of the tax base. The net effect would be upward pressure on inflation (average wages for low-paying jobs).]
Pro-Domestic Employment Is Indispensable. [With average wages increasing after deporting undocumented workers, domestic job creation may be further hindered. Incomes will fall.]
Stronger Military Is Essential. [Increases in military spending will only encourage further wastage and bloating. The U.S. needs to figure out the difference between "defense spending" and "meddling spending." It should consider cutting the budget in half.]
Special Interests Eliminated. [Does this include the NRA and the meat & dairy industry lobbies?]
Gun Ownership Is Sacred. [Silly wording. Nothing is sacred. Not sure what is implied here.]
Government Must Be Downsized. [Without specifics, this is meaningless. Downsized where? Let's start with the military.]
National Budget Must Be Balanced. [Generally this should be the case, but it isn't always practical, especially in 2008. Economic realities are a bitch, especially when you look at factors beyond your control as a nation.]
Deficit Spending Will End. [Generally desirable, see above re: national budget and military spending.]
Bail-out And Stimulus Plans Are Illegal. [I'm no lawyer, but I think this is debatable.]
Reduce Personal Income Taxes A Must. [Americans are already paying low taxes. And didn't Obama lower taxes for most Americans already? Lowering taxes during a period of deficit spending and high debt is generally poor money management.]
Reduce Business Income Taxes Is Mandatory. [I'm not sure where businesses are sitting right now, but my perception is that U.S. businesses aren't overtaxed.]
Political Offices Available To Average Citizens. [Is this not the case? The Internet is a wonderful thing.]
Intrusive Government Stopped. [Can we remove subsidies to the meat and dairy industry? The barring of gay marriage and abortion?]
English As Core Language Is Required. [The U.S. should have at least two official languages: English and Spanish. It would make a lot of sense if you actually took a look at geography and demographics.]
Traditional Family Values Are Encouraged. [Gays marginalized. Women removed from the workforce. Anti-abortion. Religious compass. Abstinence over sex education. Against pre-marital sex and cohabitation/common law. I don't think this reflects enough of the population. It's going to marginalize too many people. But I don't get it. Does the Tea Party want the government to encourage this, or is this something they encourage themselves? Either way, both the government and the Tea Party should avoid being so intrusive on families despite their values and makeup.]