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Letter to KQED Radio--The Forum:

 

       Good morning!

You had Susan Jacoby on today and of course I was listening.  Then again I always listen when I take a smoke break at work.

I am perplexed as to why Gay Marriage is such an issue.  Last statistics I got was that one in four marriages ended up in divorce.  Why isn't the Gay voice (a powerful voice) helping us to address the real issues?  Why are they buying into the carrot of a heterosexual concept being dangled in front of them when they could be helping us all see to it that some important issues are addressed?

Issue: Benefits denied to people who file taxes jointly and share all assets.
Story: Kathy, a stylist renting a space in my salon has a horrid but all too common story to share.  At the age of fifteen she, a practicing Catholic got married to a Catholic man.  Eventually they had two children.  A year after their second child came he took off never to be heard from again.  He had taken all records of their marriage and accounts with him.  She never could locate him.  By the time she reached the age of twenty another man moved in with her, a veteran of the Viet Nam war.  They had a son together, filed taxes together, and shared their assets.  When he was diagnosed with Hep C and got hurt on a job, he was unable to work.  His little Vet's check helped, barely.  The supporting of them fell on her job as a hairdresser.  He was hoping to live long enough to collect his pension from the job he had worked at but that didn't happen.  He died this year.  Kathy, now fifty-six years old, hasn't got help from his pension or his Vet benefit.  In fact, she has no benefits and owes five years of back taxes.  Her son is an adult but she supports the grandchild because as life goes...the son has been injured too.  Where did his father's benefits go?  Why don't they help her?  Is she supposed to die in poverty too?

Problem: We keep skirting around the issues of Civil Partnering which should be allowed.  The subject of Gay marriage is intentionally keeping us from seeing that not only gay folks, but heterosexual folks are denied the right to benefits earned by their partners.  Who keeps all the money put into pension plans???

Instead of turning this into a moral issues from a federal platform, let us please consider the fiduciary responsibilities due to those who share assets and pay joint taxes.
Seeking to redefine marriage as something that produces anything other than a husband and wife steals attention from others who produce jointly.
Thank you.
Chelle Stockman of Vallejo, Ca.  707-655-7073