I am a homosexual.  Why the f*ck do I have to pay taxes if I am a
second-class citizen without the right to be miserable in a marriage
contract recognized in all 50 states  (and D.C.) or to get my @$$ shot
at in Iraq?  Can I at least burn the flag?

Hello Nelson-ga

I understand your sentiment. I really do. I have done a lot of
personal research into the gay marriage debate. Including a term paper
a year or two ago. It?s an area that really interests me for a myriad
of reasons.

You have to pay taxes because you are a working US Citizen. However,
citizenship does not determine the rights of marriage. I agree that
you are being treated like a second-class citizen in a sense by being
discriminated against because of your sexual orientation. However,
second or first class, you are still an American Citizen subject to
the laws that go along with such. The laws include paying taxes and
not being able to marry. However, please do not forget the freedoms
being an American Citizen does allow you that many other countries do
not have. It?s ?taking the good with the bad?, I guess.

?Citizenship frequently carries with it legal obligations relating to
taxes, military service, and/or travel restrictions.?
http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

Once you get your citizenship in America, you get a SS #. Once you
have that, it?s your tax ID. You are now required to follow the laws
in American and pay taxes.

It?s unfair, but it?s the law. I suggest writing well-informed and
polite letters to your political representatives about your feelings
on the matter of discrimination due to sexual orientation.

On June 27th, 2006, the amendment failed by only 1 vote that would
outlaw flag burning. As of now, it is still protected by the First
Amendment. You still have a right to do that, if you so choose.
http://www.esquilax.com/flag/index2.shtml

Google Searches used:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=flag%20burning&btnG=Google+Search
Flag burning

://www.google.com/search?q=citizenship+and+taxes&hl=en&lr=&start=40&sa=N
Citizenship and taxes

If this answer requires further explanation, please request
clarification before rating it, and I'll be happy to look into this
further.

Nenna-GA
Google Answers Researcher

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Request for Answer Clarification by nelson-ga on 01 Jan 2007 19:44 PST

Hi.  I didn't even notice you answered.  Thanks.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by nelson-ga on 01 Jan 2007 20:03 PST

By the way, I do disagree with you.  After all, it was the law in Nazi
Germany that the Jews had to report to concentration camps and that
their German neighbors had to turn in any in hiding.  Jim Crow was law
in the U.S. for decades.  Slavery was legal and helping runaway slaves
was a crime.  In Iraq, Sadam was law, and as Louie in Frenchyland said
"l'etat c'est moi."

It appears that "polite letters to [my] political representatives"
won't do the trick if history is any indication.  Where are the
warriors of Stonewall?

Thanks.

Easy, Nelson. It is unfortunate that the advancement of Rights takes time.

The reason you pay taxes is to enjoy vast public services. Sanitation,
medicine, education, public order, airports, roads, the judicial
system, a fresh water system, and public health are but a few things
your taxes pay for.

(See scene 9 in Monty Python's "Life of Brian" for a related discussion)

You have every right to get shot at in Iraq if you so desire. A
volunteer military costs more than a draft and so is one reason for
increased taxes. Should you wish to support US efforts in Iraq, I
expect military recruiters would do pit battles to get your enlistment
whether you are gay, straight, a druggie, dropout, criminal, fat,
stupid, a smoker, drunk, or Lyndon LaRouche. Well, maybe not overly
fat.

Should you decide to settle down with one person in what is
essentially a marriage, you are encouraged to enter into a legal
contract with this person to ensure both your rights in the event of
various circumstances, including illness or death. Any attorney can
draw up the necessary paperwork. The more homosexual couples who do
this, the more likely a trend is to be noticed by lawyers, doctors,
etc. This is one more example of the thin edge of the wedge.

You can also burn the flag if you desire. You will need to be mindful
of ordinances unrelated to free speech that may preclude when and
where you can conduct such a burning for safety reasons, but as a
political statement you are free to mount such a protest. I suggest
you avoid nylon flags and opt for the more expensive cotton. I have
seen flag burnings in foreign countries and am appalled that folks
hoist buring nylon (or similar) flags which then spew flaming bits of
plastic on the crowd.

Finally, you must work toward electing officials that are interested
in expanding the rights of people everywhere. You can't deny rights
to, say, military detainees while expecting rights of gays to be
expanded any more than you can expect to have your taxes cut while
spending 700 billion dollars more than you take in over the course of
a year. You should not support laws that require an arrestee to waive
their Fifth Amendment right in order to avoid an added felony charge,
regardless of how sensible such a law may seem, when you are fighting
for your own inalienable rights.

On a side note, Rhode Island has an interesting case. A lesbian couple
married in Massachusetts, has filed for divorce in Rhode Island. As RI
doesn't recognize same sex marriages it cannot grant such a divorce
because to do so would be a recognition of the marriage. [This is a
similar situation found in the Middle East. If Arab countries
recognize Palestinian "refugees", they are admitting they are seeking
refuge from Israel. As they refuse to recognize Israel, there cannot
be refugees from there. See?]

But RI also cannot legally ignore the petition for divorce.

Stay tuned!

As a 'resident alien', I spent many tax-paying years in the States
without the right to vote. Count yourself lucky on that point at
least!

I also question why you would want to be 'miserable in a marriage'.
(Though so many do!) I understand that that is the general nature of
the beast and I myself have studiously avoided that particular misery
and intend to continue to do so. However, I see no earthly reason why
homosexuals should be denied the same misery as heteros.

By all means burn the flag. Just be careful not to singe your eyebrows.

@markvmd -- excellent comment, but I suspect that nelson is referring
to the extant 'don't ask/don't tell' policy. However, you are right:
in the current recruiting climate it's more likely to be 'I didn't
hear you when you told me'!