With all of the back and forth recently between legalizing same-sex marriage it is hard to know what is legal anymore. Although not the most talked about political topic in this year's election, it provides a good mirror for the political situation keeping our country at a standstill. Especially in light of the economic crisis currently plaguing our country, there needs to be a more united front in order for there to be lasting change. Nowhere is this flip-flopping more evident than in the case of gay-marriage laws.
The 2009 election was yet another exercise in discrepancy for the policy on human rights. With Maine now repealing its new nuptial law, there are now only five states that legally recognize same-sex marriage. These election results seem to show an even clearer picture of the hurdles that Obama must clear in order to create lasting change. The fact that few states legalized gay marriage, and, instead, repealed previously established laws elucidates the resistance and divide present in our government as well as our country as a whole.
With the acceptance of Proposition 8 by the state of California in the 2008 election, same-sex marriage has become an even bigger discussion in various public forums. With a Democrat president back in office after eight years of conservative former President Bush, many assumed that the federal marriage laws would be destined for change. This symbolized hope for some and instilled fear in others. However, as always seems to be the case, change is slow coming. There is much more involved than the president simply waving a magic wand and having his wishes appear. The checks and balances system that runs our government is both a blessing and a curse, depending on which side of the coin you are on. Although it prevents a president from passing laws on a whim that further personal agendas, it also slows down oftentimes much-needed reforms.
In a time when significant changes are needed to repair the damages of the last several years, the gay-marriage issue shows, all too clearly, the difficulty that the President is facing in making any real headway. With both the Republican and Democrat sides holding so tightly onto their beliefs of what is right and wrong, we will never get anywhere if we are constantly making and repealing the same laws over and over again. Both parties need to work together to create compromises that will allow reforms to stay in existence long enough to begin to fix our country. |
