Letters to the Editor

In 1996 President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) into law. While I agree that marriage should be defined as being between one man and one woman, I don’t believe the federal government has any say in the matter. Problems lie in the fact that people in same-sex unions are denied benefits given to traditional married couples. The law has been controversial ever since it’s enactment.

The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) is currently deliberating on DOMA’s constitutionality and that of California’s Proposition 8 which is basically the same thing at a state level. Proposition 8 is different in that the state and the people had the constitutional right to enact this legislation in 2008. It was overturned by a U.S. district court judge in 2010, ruling that it violated both the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution. In 2012 a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel affirmed the decision and a majority of the full Ninth Circuit stayed the ruling, pending appeal. Proponents then filed a petition for SCOTUS to review the case.

People “in the know” are saying that SCOTUS will decide that DOMA is unconstitutional but won’t get involved in Proposition 8, not wanting state’s rights issues in their purview at this time. By declining to act on Prop 8, the decision will effectively go back to the Ninth Circuit Court ruling against the will of the people. I think it is unfortunate that both of these issues are being addressed at the same time. The point at which DOMA is repealed will give sway to one side or the other.

My thinking is, the process should start by looking at over 1,100 benefits that are being given to couples in traditional marriages. Without researching what they are, such a high number makes me think that many of them may not be necessary. States would then define their respective laws, deciding whether or not people in same-sex unions will receive the same benefits allowed to married couples. I think they should, but others disagree. State laws are decided by the democratic process.

Any federal law would only pertain to federal benefits. It would not punish same-sex couples and would not give excessive rewards to anyone. It would not define marriage. I’m not militant about the word marriage, but I’m a traditionalist. I don’t think it right to redefine what has been associated with religion by millions of people for thousands of years. This is a complicated issue and the process will not be easy. That federal courts can so easily overturn the will of the people will continue to keep decisions in limbo. The main objective should be looking at ways of getting the federal government out of the mix.

We need to keep in mind that media coverage of this is a distraction from the most pressing problem the country faces. If we don’t fix our dying economy, most other issues become irrelevant.

I walk with our dog in Ehmen Park and around Lake Helen almost daily. A pet peeve of mine (pardon the pun) has grown exponentially in the past few years. My pet peeve is the dog waste left on sidewalks, along sidewalks and in the grass of our park areas. We have a great walking path around the lake that has been less than desirable because of the goose waste. Now that the lake’s rehabilitation has begun, I have high hopes this annoyance will disappear. However, dog waste is even more of a problem and seems to be piling up at an alarming rate. I might miss Bentley’s mess once in a while, but I seldom finish a walk without using a litter bag. Please, pet owners, take responsibility for your pets, respect our parks and keep them clean for other users.

Any business owners out there? Do you take advantage of legal tax breaks on your income tax return? Would you like your business to grow? If it did would you expect that you should still be able to take advantage of legal tax breaks? As your business grows, at what point do you become a “very wealthy” individual at an evil corporation? When do you lose the right to decide what to pay your employees?

Almost any business owner who itemizes deductions can deduct the expenses of using their car for business purposes. If these benefits shouldn’t be extended to more successful business owners with jets, I guess Congress should change the law. Democrats controlled all three branches of government for two years. They didn’t change the law. The chair of President Obama’s now defunct Council on Jobs, Jeffrey Immelt, is also chairman of General Electric. In 2010 GE paid no taxes on $14 billion in profits. Wow, what happened there? They took advantage of legal tax breaks.

Some in Congress have been working, others have not. I just looked at a webpage listing 40 jobs related bills passed by the Republican-controlled House, now in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s pocket, awaiting action by the Democrat-controlled Senate. Without looking further, I’m sure there are many more bills the House has passed. Two bills provided alternatives to going through with the sequester. Inaction at that point fell at the feet of Harry Reid and the Democrats.

The sequester “spending cuts” are not cuts. They are a reduction in proposed spending. Even with the reduction, the federal government is set to spend $15 billion more than they did last year. Seems like that would be enough to reverse the president’s decision to shut down tours of the White House.

His golf weekend with Tiger Woods cost taxpayers over a million dollars—enough to save 341 federal workers from furlough. If sequestration is the only way to cut Obama’s ridiculous spending, so be it.

Even if reductions in national defense makes us less safe. The military will have to find ways to be more efficient/less wasteful. It would be nice if the real driver of our debt—entitlements—could do the same. Far more jobs will be lost through Obamacare than sequestration.

I find it interesting that the House led by John Boehner and Eric Cantor passed the “No Budget, No Pay Act” on Jan. 23. One hundred ninety-nine Republicans and 86 Democrats backed the measure to place the salary checks for each member of Congress in escrow until a budget agreement is reached.

Nancy Pelosi called it a joke. Steny Hoyer called it a “political gimmick.” Harry Reid said the Senate would “seek to pass” it. President Obama would not oppose the bill if it reached his desk, knowing that will never happen.

The bloated federal government spends so much on unconstitutionality, it can’t deal with the constitutional powers (the job) entrusted to it. We voted for these people.

MS Awareness Week is March 11-17.

I challenge all Dawson County residents to wear orange during MS Awareness Week in honor of those that have MS or have passed from MS. Let’s create a sea of orange this week.

Multiple sclerosis destroys connections inside us. It disconnects the mind from the body and people from each other. But what if we could defy this disease with the very thing it seeks to destroy—connections.

Having multiple sclerosis means that you may not be able to walk when you wake up. Or that you may suddenly have impaired vision. Or that your memory will fail you for no apparent reason. The symptoms of MS are different, and devastating, for everyone. The only certainty is that it will affect yet another person every hour of every day.

The number of people living with multiple sclerosis increases every hour of every day. This astonishing rate is not going to slow down, let alone stop, until we’ve found a cure. Research has made some incredible advances recently, but the world can still only offer disease management drugs and therapies to the 400,000 people living with MS in America.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society funds more MS research than any other private organization. The society also provides much needed education, programs and services to everyone who is affected by MS, including those diagnosed with the disease, their friends and families, and the healthcare professionals who work with them.

Teams are the heart of Walk MS—literally. Did you know that teams raise 81% of all Walk MS money nationally? Our efforts are at the heart of the society’s efforts to stop MS progression, restore what has been lost and end MS forever

I want to do something for the people who have been diagnosed—and because I want to keep more people from learning what it means to live with this disease. Today, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, and with a diagnosis occurring most frequently between the ages of 20 and 50, many individuals face a lifetime filled with unpredictability.

Because we choose to donate to the event we are getting closer to the hour when no one will have to hear the words, “You have MS.”

As I also celebrate my third year anniversary this week of hearing the three words “You have MS’” which changed my life forever I have chosen to fight while I still can so no one else will have to hear them someday.

I challenge you to join a team as a walker or form a team of your own or be a volunteer. Make a donation online. Send in a check. Contact me for more information on Dawson County Walk MS 2013, Saturday, May 25, at Lake Helen. Check-in is at 8 a.m.; walk begins at 9 a.m., Join the fun or support the walkers and help us find a cure. You may reach me at 308-325-9691 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .