The GOP Morality Police Strike Again!!!!

You know what I don't understand? I don't understand why the Republican Party insists on injecting their idea of morality and their idea of acceptable behavior into budget bills. This time, the GOP in the Michigan House of Representatives has inserted an amendment into the state's budget bill that will penalize state universities and colleges five percent of their budget for providing health benefits to same sex or unmarried couples.

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/05/09/Michigan_GOP_Votes_to_Fine_Colleges_for_Same_sex_Benefits/

http://www.freep.com/article/20110506/NEWS15/105060464/State-House-votes-cut-school-aid-3-5-

So........................once again, the party that supposedly wants no regulation in the marketplace and no governmental interference in business wants to tell colleges and universities how to conduct their business. I guess they only want regulation when it involves what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home. This seems to be a pattern with today's Republican Party. Why can't these institutions make their own decisions regarding their health benefits?

It is no secret that I myself used to be a member of the GOP. When people ask me why I left the Republican Party, this is exactly why. I do not understand why the right wing of the GOP feels like it needs to force its idea of morality on everyone else? And.............make no mistake about it, the right wing controls the GOP and has for many years. There used to be a place in the Republican Party for those of us that were fiscally conservative but relatively liberal socially. We were called Rockefeller Republicans. There were millions of us. I know. I used to be one. Sadly, they were forced into extinction, and I became a proud Democrat in the process.

Quite honestly, I hope the Michigan Senate has the fortitude to remove this provision when the bill goes to conference committee. However, if it doesn't, I wouldn't be surprised to see this end up in court, which may be one more step toward the long awaited legalization of same sex marriage nationwide. This will be the last thing the GOP wants, so let's hope they get it.

Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.