Marriage amendment waste of time

The Indiana Senate’s Tuesday vote in favor of amending the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage and deny equal benefits to same-sex couples is both a disgrace to the people of Indiana and an attention-seeking, senseless measure out of focus with the true issues our state faces.\nOf course, the affirmative vote on Senate Joint Resolution 7 will affect gay couples seeking equal legal recognition very strongly and negatively if the measure is ever successfully added to the Indiana Constitution. However, the greater injustice is done to all Indiana residents because (whether or not you’re in favor of it) a state law prohibiting same-sex marriage is already in effect in Indiana, making the effort simply a ridiculous waste of time.\nUnfortunately, our Senate has found passing further legislation on the matter to be a more satisfactory use of Hoosier tax dollars than examining any number of the following unresolved issues.\nEducation: Lack of education is a primary contributor to a number of factors that depress standard of living over the course of a lifetime. Those with high school diplomas earn on average 170 percent more than those who fail to graduate. And when that translates to $14,000 in addition to the $19,851 earned yearly by dropouts, it’s the difference between poverty and a small, but stable, income.\nIndiana needs an educated workforce if it is to remain competitive with other states in the international market. For both reasons, those responsible for administering education in the state should be concerned when only 76.5 percent of the state’s high school students manage to graduate within 4 years and only 19.4 percent of the state’s adult residents hold a bachelor’s degree.\nIncome: As one might conjecture from Indiana’s low graduation rate and the high correlation between education and earnings, Indiana per capita income is approximately 12 percent lower than the figure for the U.S. at large. Aside from reducing the individual’s standard of living, low income levels and an underdeveloped economy make our state less welcoming to further economic expansion. \nProperty taxes: Residents of Indiana have seen their property taxes increase greatly over the course of the past few years, generating much debate about how education and other local organizations should be funded. According to State Rep. Scott Pelath, chairman of the House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee, this was to be the focus of the legislature’s session in the first place, which he has cited as grounds for refusing to give the marriage amendment bill a hearing. \nIn a cruel twist of irony, Senate Joint Resolution 7 not only fails to concern itself with the true issues at hand, but the resolution also translates into real losses for our state’s economy. Such legislation is unlikely to attract a number of talented professionals seeking benefits for their partners who could further Indiana on a path to economic success. \nThis is our call to reform that system by holding legislators accountable to be competent in defining and addressing the real issues at hand rather than dealing in publicity stunts and discriminatory measures.