Taxes and Proposition 8

Since the passing of Proposition 8 there has been a lot of talk about where the money to get it passed came from.  There has been both a call for boycotts of companies owned by the Mormon Church and a lot of gay people saying they aren’t going to pay their taxes.

Generally I find boycotts to be kind of stupid.  It seems that they don’t really work because while you have people boycotting it also seems that it gets people on the other side to support those businesses.  Also sometimes people can’t boycott places because they just can’t afford it.

When it comes to the Mormon Church (and understand anything said here is directed at the Church and primarily it’s leaders because not all Mormon’s are on the side of inequality) I think the bigger impact can be made by rallying to have their tax exempt status taken away.  When you see the list of companies that they have a stake it it becomes more apparent that they are a for profit corporation hiding behind the veil of a tax exempt non-profit religion.

Some people say that the church itself didn’t give money so they shouldn’t loose their tax exempt status.  I’d actually challenge that because I’d look at the ties off all the people who gave money and how many of them worked for those companies on the boycott list.  The church may be able to hide behind it’s parishioners but, they did everything they could to encourage people across the country to give money.  (Personally I don’t think money should be allowed to cross state lines for individual state initiatives like this.)  They are also being investigated for paying to take people to California to work on the campaign.  And remember the current administration once threatened to take away the tax exempt status of the the NAACP just because the head of the organization spoke against President Bush.

I totally get why people like Melissa Ethridge and the person who commented on my last post say they aren’t going to pay taxes.  I would caution against that because deliberately not paying can get you thrown in jail.  However, you have to look at the obsurdity of the tax situation.  Here we have a huge number of people who are being made to pay the same taxes, and in a lot of cases higher taxes because they can’t get the same right offs as opposite-sex couples.  Not to mention that employer paid benefits for married couples are before taxes (basically not taxed) the money for the same benefits provided to a domestic partner are taxed.  That money comes out after taxes have been taken out of a persons check.

So that’s millions of people working, providing for themselves and their families, and they pay their state and federal taxes like everyone else.  Yet, they are not even close to being treated the same.  They aren’t given the same protections, they aren’t allowed the same benefits, hell they even have to fight to leave their hard earned money to the people they want to in some cases.  They do the same things to help this country run and don’t get the same things out of it.  Some of them still live in places where they have to fear for their jobs if people know the are gay.

The hypocrisy here is that this is all driven by the religious fear mongers.  Those fear mongers are then allowed to bring in all kinds of money for their churches (money that should be going to people in need) while paying now taxes on it.  On top of that they are then (thanks to the current administration and yes Obama plans to continue it) allowed to apply for grants from the government.  And where does that money they are asking for come from.  It comes from the tax dollars that we hard working Americans pay.  And that includes the tax dollars that gay Americans pay.  How messed up is that?

They don’t have to pay taxes yet, they get to not only have access to the tax money we all pay they also get to work to take away rights of the Americans that pay those taxes.

It is time that the religions of this country lose their tax exempt status.  Remember there is nothing in the Constitution that says that churches are entitled to anything especially special exemptions under the law.  What it does say is the freedom of religious expression.  And that is aimed at the individual it was not designed to give religions and churches the right to circumvent the law or have special privileges.

Proposition 8 mistake

I know I’m kind of behind on commenting about the passing of Proposition 8 in California.  That’s because there is just so much to say and I’ve been trying to sort through all my thoughts on the subject.  To put them all in one post would be overwhelming.  So there will probably be a few posts on the subject.

 

The passing of Proposition 8 is a tough blow to the movement for equality in this country.  A blow a lot of people didn’t think would happen.  I think a lot of people got caught up in thinking that if people voted for Obama they would automatically vote against Proposition 8.  Ultimately that kind of thinking lead to people falling asleep on the job.  Luckily people didn’t fall asleep on the job in bringing change to Washington and a great statement about how far we have come as a country was made.

 

Unfortunately an equally big statement was made about how far we still must go.  It’s as if people forgot that same-sex marriage was previously voted against in California.  It was Proposition 22 that was overturned by the states Supreme Court earlier this year.  I don’t know if people thought that the state had moved forward or if they just figured people would never take away rights that had been granted to anyone.  Could you imagine what would happen if somewhere people managed to vote to take away the right of opposite-sex couples to marry?

 

Whatever people’s thinking was they just dropped the ball.  Mainly I’m talking about the big people here.  I’m not talking about the little people who were giving until they couldn’t give anymore.  Or the ones that were out pounding the pavement.  I have a close friend who was out there on election night fighting against this.  I’m talking about the celebrities, I’m talking about the current and former politicians, I’m talking about anyone with a national platform.

 

Sure a lot of these people are out there now speaking against this and screaming about the injustice.  But, where were they in the months leading up to the election.  So many of them could be heard and read supporting Obama but, where were their voices against Prop. 8?  I don’t live in California so maybe they were loud there but, they weren’t loud everywhere else.  They forgot that the religious organizations were preaching every Sunday (and perhaps on other days) to all their followers in every state across the country to send money to help pass Proposition 8, to get in touch with people in California and get them to vote for Proposition 8.

 

I’ve seen all kinds of celebrities on all kinds of shows since the election speaking out against this.  Not just gay celebrities but, straight ones as well.  But, again I ask why weren’t they on Bill Mahr and Larry King before the election?  Why weren’t they re-directing the conversations on Leno and Letterman to talk against Proposition 8?  I faithfully watch Countdown with Keith Olbermann and The Rachel Maddow show every night but, they weren’t saying anything leading up to the election.

 

Sure those two shows are kind of preaching to the converted but, you know it would have ended up on You Tube and people could have passed it around to gain support.  I know that would have happened because Keith did a special comment following the passage of Proposition 8 and that’s exactly what happened with it.  His special comment was fantastic.  He drove right at the heart of the matter but, where was that before hand?

 

Yes, there was a lot of hate and fear that drove this loss.  But, that could have been countered if big name people had gotten out there and made impassioned statements on the side of love and hope, on the side of equality.  New polls show that all the protests and cries of injustice have caused people to change their view.  People would actually vote differently now after seeing the reaction and hearing the arguments for equality.  Some of that you know is seeing big name people out their commenting on this.  Just think what could have been if they had spoken up sooner.

The Inspiration Lives

There is a truly great family in American politics and that is the Kennedy’s.  In one way or another they have influenced the course of this country for decades.  Unfortunately we can only look back and wonder how great things could have been had John and Robert not been assassinated.

I just finished watching Senator Kennedy give his speech at the Democratic Convention and the inspiration and idealism of that family still lives.  When a Kennedy speaks I think everyone listens.  Even Caroline Kennedy was inspiring in the way only her family can be.  If only this country could find their way back to the idealism of the days of John Kennedy.

At 30 the Kennedy I have always known is Edward but, I know my history and I’ve seen some of John’s speaches and I’ve always wondered when we would have another John.  Honestly I believed someday it would be John Jr.  That someday he would give and realize his destiny and enter the political arena in earnest.  My hopes and some of my dreams were crushed the day his plane went down.

When Obama gave that speech in 2004 I felt the inspiration and hope I thought would never happen in politics again.  I have only felt flashes of that during his campaign and it is my great hope that, that feeling will come through Thursday night when he accepts his nomination.  I am inspired by the change he can bring.  I hope he can live up to it and can see it through.  History is not kind to the true change bringers in the world.

I will throw my support behind him and try to encourage any undecided person I know to vote for him.  If anyone who is undecided out there that is older and knows the power of change that has always come with the Kennedy’s I hope they will listen to Senator Kennedy and vote for Obama.

It’s important to note that even with the loss of John and Bobby we still owe a great debt of gratitude to them for this moment in history.  All three brothers were instrumental in the civil rights movement.  Without them and their bravery and their support back then we probably wouldn’t be witnessing this now.  This moment in history could be years if not decades off if not for the Kennedy’s support back then.

I know they are not solely responsible for that change.  But, they were people of power who were willing to stand up and fight for what they felt was right.  They stood up and fought for an equality that people were willing to kill to stop.  They lent their power and voices to an equality they knew was right and would make this country stronger.  And they and everyone they fought with for that equality are being rewarded and proven right.  Now it is up to the next generation of Kennedy’s to take that torch and support the next great battle for equality in this country.  It is time for them to stand along side those being denied equality and lend their power and voices to the fight.  It is time for us all to take the inspiration and get loud and fight for everything we have been promised as Americans.