Priorities: Oil, Military, Economy or 38% Of U.S. States Now Ban Gay Marriage?

Well, not surprisingly, Texas, home of “W”, oil, red conservatives and now discrimination has voted to ban gay marriage. I’m glad I’m closer to Maine, Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts. It’s eye opening when elder groups, such as the Grey Panthers who are often seen as deciding what’s important based on life’s experiences, share my own belief that God loves everyone. Having equal rights protects people from discrimination. In our country where there is separation of church and state, certain religions can stop same-gender couples from marriages being sanctified in their church. Conversely, it seems straightforward that personal freedoms and rights ought to be protected by our government.

No doubt, this issue and choice will be wedge issues in 2006 elections. However, the “trifecta” of our economy, military and oil should to be center stage. One way to know our economy is still in the doldrums is despite the reduced military recruitment levels, 64% of recruits still come from poor households.

The irony is these teens and twenty-somethings are fighting for national security interests that most benefit the wealthy in our country. No worry, the super-wealthy contributors will benefit from the $70 billion tax cut proposed by the GOP. We can always borrow more from the Chinese or put the patriotic burden on the middle class.

And about oil: the number one consumer of petroleum products is our military, and it’s all paid for by our tax dollars. Halliburton, Cheney’s old gig, is in on it big time in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and New Orleans. When we eventually wean from the oil cartel’s teat availability and distribution will be impacted and prices drop. But the $1.00 decline in just six weeks due to the public’s outcry is worthy of our officials’ investigation for consumer gouging. By design, oil’s price has not returned to its former level just a couple of years ago. I wonder how our troops feel that the CEO of ExxonMobil is earning over 1,000 times more than they are while fighting and dying to protect Middle East oil.

While higher fuel prices at the pump and home heating erodes our take home pay, I wonder if we will consider how the oil industry’s campaign contributions stifle our need to really protect our domestic security and invest in the American Dream. I think the answer is alternative energy, quality education and an economy that stimulates the growth of small businesses; unless it’s more important we’re preoccupied with ensuring the couple next door only practices what we believe in… your choice of priorities.