Whether You're Straight or Gay

Since the beginning of 2009, two states have passed bills or upheld court rulings legalizing gay marriage. In the United States, there are currently six states that have passed legislation allowing some form of same-sex marriage. Twenty-eight states have passed laws specifically prohibiting gay marriage. On the other hand, in the European Union there are fourteen countries that allow some type of civil union or same-sex marriage out of the twenty-seven total. While equal rights activists support the growing trend of legalization, there are still many conservative or religious groups that adamantly oppose the idea of same-sex marriage. Their arguments stem from the idea that marriage is defined as between one man and one woman. However, does the government really have the right to decide what marriage is defined as (in regards to human race, at least)?

Gay equal rights took center stage in 2004 when President Bush announced his support for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man in a woman. Gay rights was not a major issue in the 2008 presidential election, taking the back seat to more pressing issues such as the economy and the handling of the Iraq war. However, moving into 2009, gay rights once again rose to the surface in April when Iowa upheld citizens’ right to same-sex marriage. A state court rejected the state law that banned gay marriage to begin with. New Hampshire recently followed suit by passing a same-sex marriage bill in June. Most recently, the state of Massachusetts sued the U.S. government stating that DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), passed in 1996, violated equal rights. The state of Massachusetts claims that the act prevents the state from “[defining] and [regulating] marriage as it sees fit.” The state also declares that this act requires the state to violate citizen’s rights by treating homosexual couples differently than heterosexual couples in matters such as Medicaid.

Overall, the allocations against gay marriage are numbered. However, the truth of the matter is that by preventing gay marriage, the government is infringing on the rights of citizens. Just as stated in the law suit against the U.S. government by Massachusetts, Congress “overstepped its authority” creating an “overreaching and discriminatory federal law.” Although the act was passed thirteen years ago, there is a reason that now it is being challenged. As the rest of the world changes to give rights to homosexuals, the U.S. will eventually have to change with it. Whether conservatives and religious groups like it or not, it is the right of an individual to be able to share their legal rights with whomever they choose. Same-sex couples need to be able to have joint taxes, property, and the like. Without these rights, heterosexual couples are treated better than homosexual couples from a government standpoint. As in the past, the government must change its laws to allow for equality amongst all its citizens, straight or gay.

Left, But Oh So Right

David Sirota is a two-time New York Times bestselling author. He is also a weekly syndicated columnist whose column circulates to over 1.6 million readers daily. Sirota is currently writing his third book (his other two books are titled The Uprising and Hostile Takeover) which describes the interaction of politics and popular media such as movies and television. Not only is Sirota full-time journalist and bestselling author, but he is also a blogger. His blog posts can be found on The Huffington Post, The Smirking Chimp, and OpenLeft.com. Sirota has also appeared regularly on both television and radio for programs such as CNN Newsroom, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show, and various shows on NPR. If this isn’t credit enough, he is also been named “best columnist” in 2008 and 2009 by 5280 magazine, and ranks 38th on Mediaite.com’s annual list of most influential columnists in the United States. Though by some he is considered critical and slightly populist, Sirota has a strong following of both his column and blog.

In David Sirota’s most recent blog post (posted on July 25, 2009), he elaborates on his own column, titled "1-percenters launch attack on health care" and published on July 24th. His column describes the three main factions of change-resistant politicians in Washington D.C. As one of the only political reporters not residing in Washington D.C., Sirota brings a new perspective to the inner workings of politics there. Sirota addresses the three “armies” as the “Land Rover Liberals”, “Corrupt Cowboys”, and “Millionaire Media.” While in his column Sirota only addresses these groups briefly, in his post he addresses them in more depth. Whether the group is extremely wealthy Democrats, Blue-Collar Democrats and Main Street Republicans, or the media supporting them, Sirota expresses the downfall of each, with sources to support each statement. And although sometimes critical of our new president, Sirota supports President Obama’s attempts to overcome the three armies and achieve health care reform. Through his blog, Sirota is able to build upon his widely-read article to address a more specific (and more left) audience.

Because of the location of David Sirota’s blog posts on left sites such as OpenLeft.com, Sirota addresses his more personal opinions towards an audience of left politics. And although some may find him biased, Sirota manages to find support for each and every one of his statements, perhaps making them more fact than fiction.

A Little Logic for an Illogical Attitude

Charles Blow, the current visual Opinion-Editorial columnist of the New York Times, addresses the issue of the growing force of minorities in elections over the last few years in his article Losing the Races. He particularly targets the Republican Party’s flippant and devil-may-care attitude towards the minority vote. In his career, Charles Blow began as a graphics editor at the Times who quickly rose to the top to become the graphics director. From there he continued to rise, eventually becoming the newspaper’s Design Director for News. In 2006, he left the New York Times to become the Art Director of National Geographic magazine. Charles Blow won several awards during his time at the Times, mainly pertaining to coverage of 9/11 and the Iraq war. Charles Blow also writes his own blog, By the Numbers, which further demonstrates his love to combine the graphic arts with facts and figures. In his columns and blog, Blow uses charts and other figures to further support his opinions. This unique integration of art and fact creates a powerful image of his carefully calculated opinions. With a resume like Charles Blow, one would expect him to be a well qualified and well prepared journalist. In his editorial about the new power of race in elections, he demonstrates his persuasive skills as both a designer and journalist.

Blow begins his article by describing several events of the Young Republicans meeting which occurred last week. He describes racially slanted jokes told by party members, as well as the reckless appointment of woman who has a history of politically incorrect language with regard to race. Blow continues with several other incidents of racial insensitivity including the Republican attacks against Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Blow goes on to bravely state that, “If Republicans buy this ‘who cares’ reasoning, they’re doomed to defeat.” He supports this heavy statement with statistics of not only the growing numbers of Hispanic among other minority voters, but the swing of these voters. Comparing statistics from the 2004 and 2008 presidential election in Florida, Blow concludes that both George W. Bush and John McCain received about the same amount of votes from white voters, but John McCain lost by almost three percent in the state because of the realignment of Hispanic voters. He also uses a chart comparing percentages of non-white voters to demonstrate the growing rate of minority voters, particularly Hispanics. Charles Blow finally concludes that it will “take more than fried chicken and potato salad, or arroz con pollo” for the Republicans to win and keep the minority vote.

Blow’s conclusions are not only meant to heed warning to the Republican Party, but also to inform voters of the Republican Party’s behavior. The G. O. P. continues to contradict itself in the matter of race, often having fickle and sometimes selfish interests in minorities. With the growing number of the Hispanic voting population, the G. O. P. will have to address their conflicting interests and take action to win over the minority votes. Blow’s article is not only informative, but passionate in a personal way since Blow himself is a minority. Over all, this article proves to be knowledgeable and well-supported, displaying his skill for design and expectations of fair politics.

Healthcare Reform is Not Just Expensive, It's Necessary

The main argument against health care reform is that it will cause an increase in taxes and an increase in the national debt. However, thousands of uninsured Americans leave the hospital each day without paying, leaving the bill to be paid by the state and national government. This article addresses the bills being currently being pushed forward in Congress in regards to health care reform and regulation.

Laura Meckler not only describes the view of the Democrats in Congress who are progressing the bills forward, but also includes important view points from fiscally conservative Democrats who fear the cost of the bills, and the insurance companies who fear the outcome of the bills. Throughout his presidential campaign, President Obama encouraged the idea of increased health care coverage from the national government, but also providing a government health insurance option that increased competitive rates between private providers. Although this still appears to be the ultimate goal, private health care providers argue that new fees imposed on the companies will simply continue to increase the cost of premiums, rather than make the prices more competitive. The fees themselves are meant to fund the new health care program, which is estimated to cost over $1 trillion. This article properly addresses the problem of cost, but also describes the current problems with our health care system. Ultimately Laura Meckler gives a balanced view of the current progression of health care reform in Congress.

Laura Meckler’s article, Democrats Turn Up the Heat on Insurance Industry, can be found in the online version of the Wall Street Journal.