Well, a lot has happened within the last post. With a special election over and two
monumental rulings, even a state in political chaos and new adventures for the
politically savvy, there is never a dull moment in my life and keeping up with
the changing times.
To pick up
from my last post, the special election in South Carolina did not turn out in
my favor. Elizabeth Colbert-Busch did
not win the congressional seat against former governor Mark Sanford. I can’t say I’m surprised, given it is the
most conservative district in the country, if only for South Carolina. I don’t blame the candidate for her loss;
nobody should ever fault the candidate in these campaigns. I would argue that false hopes and misguided
name recognition lead to the blind support of the Democratic party standing
behind her in this race. I also think
the Democratic party was reluctant to stand by her because she was too
conservative a “true democratic candidate” for their liking. In the end, it is the experience that matters,
and it is important to always look towards the next election and work to win
that one. The object is to fight to win the next election; but one should never
forget their losses, as it drives the desire to win the next race.
May
transcended into June, and the end of June brought the month went out with a
loud bang. On the twenty-sixth of the month, the United States Supreme Court
struck down the Defense of Marriage Act and also cited the Proposition Eight
case from California, that it has no legal standing which meant they wouldn’t
rule on it; thus, it allowed for the lower court’s decision to be upheld (which
stated that Proposition Eight was unconstitutional in the state of
California). Both of these cases are
huge victories for LGBT-individuals living in the United States [and the
overall fight for Marriage Equality in the country].
Personally, I view these as good
things for the United States regarding progressing for progress’ sake. I do not believe that marriage is being
“re-defined” or that the country’s moral standing will fall and the wrath of
God will come down hard against this great nation. Nay, I believe that marriage
has been extended to those outside of the “traditional” marriage practice and
the state of California has the right to pass laws that are within the
constitutional boundaries of the law. Since I am not a resident of that state,
the Proposition Eight ruling does not apply to me; what does however is the
Amendment One that was passed by 60% of the North Carolina voting populace in last
year’s election cycle. As far as the law goes in the state of North Carolina:
“Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that
shall be valid or recognized”. (NC
Constitution, Article 14, Section 6)
While we
are talking about North Carolina, and the laws being passed within the state,
it is important to focus on the General Assembly of the North Carolina State
Legislature. There have been a few bills
that have been passed through the House of Representatives and/or the Senate
that are not exactly promising when it comes to doing the best thing for the
residents of the Tar Heel state. The
first issue is education and the battle to cut its funding. There is an
incentive to have older teachers to retire early and to accept, as a parting
gift, an extra $500. The horrible thing
is that it passed the House of Representatives! As far as I know, it is still
being discussed in a senate committee. Let me backtrack a moment: After the
election of 2012, the House, Senate, and Governorship went into the hands of
Republicans (just stating a fact; this is how democracy works…whomever wins
gets to be in power).
Now the
House Republicans are trying to pass laws to limit education funding, revise
the tax structure, and even pass anti-abortion measures attached to a law that
is against Sharia law. First things first, I AM NOT ADVOCATING FOR SHARIA LAW (set
aside the fact that it is Constitionally impossible for any religious based law
to be followed in the USA); all I am saying is that we need to separate the
real issues from “non-real” issues. For
example, the House republicans and Senate republicans have either passed, or
will pass, a restructured tax base to allocate for tax breaks to the residents
of North Carolina; the problem is that both houses have different views on what
is the correct tax base formula. Even
Governor McCrory has stated that he will veto any bill that comes across his
desk that would raise taxes on the middle class (which both plans do; Senate
plan has middle class families paying more than $30 in taxes and I’m not sure
about the House plan, but I’ll look into it and get back to you). I consider
this to be an actual issue. The “non-real” issue is which plan saves North
Carolina families…the answer: both plans, and the Governor knows it (which is
why he’ll veto it...as it would haunt him around re-election time).
[The North Carolina Senate will vote today on their tax bill:
The Senate Bill is #394 and the House Bill is #998]
As for the abortion rider in the bill against Sharia law
(again, is Sharia law really a
problem in North Carolina? Seriously?),
this is also a thorn in the side for Governor McCrory as he stated in his
campaign to become the Governor that he would not sign bills into law that
would further restrict abortions. The sad thing is it might become law even if
he vetoed the bill because they have the votes in the House to override him.
When it comes to the real issue, such as abortion, we seem t have a lame duck
governor in Raleigh. To review: Real issue – restricting abortions; “non-real”
issue – Sharia law ever becoming the law in North Carolina (as it would be
unconstitutional under our own state constitution, and the fact that the United
States Constitution is the true law over all fifty states [and the territories]
and that North Carolina was in the “God-fearing” south). Come to think this
about it, how is that bill not unconstitutional?
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