Value Our Families

On Monday February 20th, New York Times columnist, Frank Bruni, made a compelling argument on society's view on the traditional family values; or lack thereof. He has worked for the the Times since 1995, and has held various positions with the paper, including chief restaurant critic. Bruni is confused as to why gay men and lesbian women are not allowed to take part in something that solidifies a couple's love for one another.  He first begins his argument by reporting on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, vetoing a same sex marriage bill, that was recently passed by the legislation. This of course did not sit well with Bruni. He further begins to give statistics on how more than half of the births to American women under the age of 30, are unwed. And the divorce rate has reached between 40 and 50 percent for first time marriages, and increasing thereafter with additional unions. What I don't understand is if marriage is not taken seriously by most Americans, than why is the go-to argument that gay marriage will depreciate the sanctity of marriage?

Personally I could not agree more with Bruni. He makes a wonderful argument without ranting. I consider myself a Christian, and I have read what the Bible says about a person being gay. For the record, yes it does that being gay is a sin, but this does not validate the hypocrisy many Christians express. They're constantly unwilling to point out, that under the same passage of sin is to not lie, cheat, or steal; something many politicians-John Edwards-seem to forget (I'm not exactly sure how Edwards ties into this, I just highly despise him). Gay marriage would not take away from the "traditional values" that America is based on. And what exactly are American Values? And who is to judge? We seem to all forget a time where "Real America" was thought of as a country made of White Americans; and now we have a black President. I am completely for the union of two people who truly love one another, and who are willing to face the challenges of life together. We can't choose who we fall in love with or our sexual preference, but we can choose equality for everyone. 

Obama Acts to Calm Furor on Birth Control Coverage Rule

On Friday February 10th, The New York Times reported on President Obama's new administration rule, making insurance companies responsible for offering free birth control to female employees. This new plan of action would also include insurance companies that are run by Roman Catholic hospitals.  After reading the article, I was happy that finally more emphasis would be placed on prevention, instead of assuming every pregnancy is wanted. This would bring the population rate down dramatically, and our tax dollars would not be used to fund the millions of families that are on a food stamp program. Furthermore, I believe the Catholic church  should not be allowed to have a say in how the government handles the new administration rule. They can voice their opinions, but ultimately they should not get to vote on the topic.