What The People Want

As most of the nation finally takes the holiday decorations down and the college football bowl games wind to a close, America appears to be finally pulling out of our collective holiday coma, and getting back to a very full slate of work for 2013.

President Obama has already made it clear he's planned a broad and assertive agenda for his second term - even while Republicans in Congress, especially in the House, are in open political warfare with one another. Even with another potential do-nothing Congress, 2013 looks to be a year filled with legislators and politicians tackling some issues that have been seriously divisive in the not-too-distant past, including immigration and same-sex marriage.

As we noted in our first edition of 2013, much of the political action will be happening at the state level this year, and in both Illinois and Rhode Island, same-sex marriage could be made legal even before the Supreme Court takes up two cases related to the issue later this year.

Not surprisingly, there are still plenty of Americans who insist that letting same-sex couples marry signals the death of the institution of marriage. The facts, though, simply don't support that premise.

In a study from June 2012, it was confirmed the baby boomer divorce rate has now doubled in the last twenty years, even as more and more Americans show less and less of a problem with same-sex marriage. And same-sex couples DO want to get married.

In the first year of same-sex marriage being legal in New York state, the economy of just New York City was boosted by $258 million dollars. That figure only includes half of 2011 and 2012, and doesn't include the entire state, with great honeymoon destinations like Niagara Falls, or the numerous 'B&B's" - bed and breakfast - resorts or wineries that litter upstate New York.

It's not a wonder then that Illinois may very likely legalize same-sex marriage as early as this week. Rhode Island - the only state in the New England region that hasn't legalized same-sex marriage - could do so even before Valentine's Day.

Back in December, on ABC's weekend talking heads show 'This Week' commentator George Will said what so many who've looked at the polls have also noted, that ‘…quite literally, the opposition to gay marriage is dying.’ Polls conducted by ABC, the Washington Post, and Pew Center confirm - what opposition there is to same-sex marriage is overwhelmingly older, and on the right-wing extreme end of the binary political scale.

Frankly, we really don't have any problems with same-sex marriage, especially if it's likely to help boost the economy. Our staff members even have same-sex friends who've gotten married over the last few years.

As far as we're concerned, if someone pays taxes, doesn't break the law, is a good neighbor, and cares for their family and friends, we really don't care if they're single or married, no matter what their sexual orientation might be.

In a democracy, if it's what the people want, that's usually what the people get. How other people love isn't for us to decide.