Senator
Rob Portman (R-OH), a staunch opponent of gay marriage rights, announced last
week that he's changed his mind on the issue and now believes that, "...if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment
to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government
shouldn’t deny them the opportunity to get married." Why? Because two
years ago Senator Portman's son told him that he's gays, so the Midwest
conservative suddenly remembered, "…the Bible's overarching themes of love
and compassion and my belief that we are all children of God." Senator
Portman also added that Republicans should in fact join him in
supporting gay marriage rights since "conservatives believe
in personal liberty and minimal government interference in people's
lives."
It's natural that our personal experiences shape our
values, but a politician shouldn't need to be personally affected by
every issue involving individual liberty in order to feel empathy for
those that are deprived of this incredible aspect of our Constitution.
Individual freedom and the right to pursue happiness constitute the foundation
of the American value system and politicians should always aim to afford
Americans more freedom and not less.
What Sen. Portman and his fellow Washington politicians fail to
understand is that investing in job creating programs for Americans
will downsize government involvement in our society because financial security
leads to less people needing welfare programs. The Federal Department
of Labor's Workforce Investment Act (WIA), for example, encourages Americans to
get better jobs so that they move up the economic ladder beyond minimum
wage and contribute as taxpaying members of society.
Unfortunately, for the last 5 years, Washington has done
more to reward bad behavior than to encourage patriotic citizenship. They keep
cutting the CSBG budget while rewarding businesses that send American jobs to
other countries.
CSBGs help millions of American
attain their personal freedom by investing in our
economy through poverty prevention and education. These issues
are vital for economic growth because our consumer economy needs more consumers and
less people dependent on safety programs. We need more jobs and less
poverty. Most Americans want to contribute to society, but not all have
the opportunity to do so. Programs such as Head Start invest in American
children so they can be a productive part of society.
CSBGs create individual freedom so I hope Sen. Portman
remembers that during the upcoming budget talks. If that's not enough, then
hopefully he'll remember "the Bible's overarching themes of love
and compassion." Because no one needs more
compassion than the most vulnerable in our society.
