Quote:Today a bill was passed for Civil Unions (marrige for gay couples). I totally support this, and I can't believe it has taken this long to happen. It's like giving women the vote - retrospectively, I can't believe how they COULDN'T have the vote.
I support the right of homosexual couples in long-term relationships to enjoy the same legal benefits as a married couple. However, one thing that worries me about civil unions is that because they're just a legal term, they don't have any real significance, so I think there's some potential for abuse.
For example, assume that it's 2040 and civil unions == marriage for all intents and purposes. Both I and my roommate are straight. But if we went to City Hall and asked for a civil union license, we'd both be entitled to all the benefits of being married without actually being married. This would be great for tax breaks -- we could, for instance, file a joint tax return and deduct our rental costs twice.
In fact, if both our salaries are relatively low (as they are when you're a college student), we could wind up paying no taxes at all. I do some stock market trading, so even when I don't work at all I usually wind up paying about $2,500 in capital gains taxes each year. The deductions I'd be able to take from being in a civil union would be very tempting. Sure, I'd get some flak from my friends about doing it, but it's not illegal in the slightest. And I'd be saving at least $2,500 a year at least! The jury's still out for me on whether or not that's unethical or merely very clever, though; I'll have to think about it some more.
Additionally, we could also marry without qualms; just have the civil union nullified when one of us wants to marry. In fact, some of the civil union laws I've seen don't prevent you from being in a civil union *and* a marriage at the same time.
Quote:Also, as of midnight tonight, smoking is banned in all bars and restaurants (in fact, most indoor public places). I fully support this one as well, because there's nothing worse than coming home stinking of stale smoke.
In the United States, the federal government leaves this decision to municipalities and states. Most states have at least some anti-smoking laws (no smoking inside schools or hospitals), and a good deal of places elect to ban smoking on their property even if the law doesn't require it (hotels and restaurants). In New York City, you pretty much can't smoke indoors anymore. Do I support this? Wholeheartedly; when your actions have negative health effects that extend beyond the boundaries of your body, you're responsible for them.
