Wisdom Wednesday: Just cause you can doesn’t mean you should
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org
“There’s a big difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” – Michael Josephson
Someone may say, “I’m allowed to do anything,” but not everything is helpful. I’m allowed to do anything, but not everything encourages growth. 24 People should be concerned about others and not just about themselves. 1 Corinthians 10:23-24(GW)
The California Supreme court recently struck down a state ban on same sex marriage, which allows same sex couples to marry for the first time in California history. This is another in a growing trend of supreme court rulings overturning state laws forbidding same sex marriages. The argument seems to be that these same sex couples want the same legal benefits of the heterosexual community. Some seem to think this only makes sense, but much like the equal pay for equal work arguments of a bygone era, this too shall bring about unexpected results that will harm both heterosexual unions as well as the same sex unions.
Much like the outrage of the equal pay crowd when many more women were seeking employment, the resulting wage stagflation was an unexpected outcome. Instead of the women’s wages rising to the higher male pay grade the over all pay rate of all workers was reduced to match that of the lower earning women’s rates. Simple oversupply for the demand drove wages downward, not up as demanded, by the feminists lobbyists. The end result was equal pay for equal work just at a much lower level.
I foresee the same effect happening across the spectrum as more and more same sex couples tap into the “benefits pool” that once was reserved for married couples. The strain on insurance benefits, medical spousal benefits, tax breaks, and social security payouts will force the laws to be changed and could effect all “married couples” negatively. Instead of the anticipated financial windfall the same-sex couples sought to tap into, their ever increasing numbers will only force the system to change to adapt to the increased demand for benefits. The system was not set up to accommodate the demographics now being presented to it.
I can foresee a time in our not to distant future where the so-called marriage benefits will be all but eliminated. Each individual will therefore be responsible for themselves and will not qualify for spousal benefits any longer. Just because you can and want to do something, does not mean it is best for society at large to engage in such behavior.
Living for the betterment of society is what the bible teaches. Not thinking only about oneself but the overall benefit to our fellow man is what the Christian model dictates. As more and more basic Christian values are removed from our society, an even greater strain is placed upon our nations moral foundation. Without the rock solid foundation of God’s word as our societal building block, our nation, like others before us, will falter under the weight of immorality and lawlessness. The virtues that made this country great, the selflessness and self-sacrifice of former generations, has been lost to the narcissism of today.
COURTS ADDRESS GAY CIVIL RIGHTS
Legal milestones involving same-sex couples:
1986. U.S. Supreme Court upholds a Georgia law banning sodomy between consenting adults.
1993. Hawaii’s Supreme Court rules the state constitution could give gay couples the same marital rights as heterosexual couples.
1996. President Clinton signs the Defense of Marriage Act defining marriage as a “union between one man and one woman.” It says states need not recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
1998. Hawaii voters amend state constitution to allow Legislature to reserve marriage for opposite-sex couples.
2000. Vermont becomes first state to allow civil unions between same-sex partners, giving them most of the benefits of marriage.
2003. U.S. Supreme Court strikes down a Texas law barring consensual gay sex, reversing its 1986 decision. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules that same-sex couples have a right to marry.
2006. New York Court of Appeals, that state’s highest court, rejects gay marriage, as does the Washington Supreme Court. New Jersey Supreme Court rules gay couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples. It lets the Legislature decide whether to allow same-sex marriage or civil unions.
2007. Maryland Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, upholds ban on gay marriage.
May 15, 2008.: California Supreme Court strikes down a state ban on same-sex marriage.
