Why I support Gay Marriage

Today President Obama came out in support of Gay Marriage.


All my life I have been taught that homosexuality is wrong.  I am a Christian, I am a Mormon; this is a fundamental moral teaching of the Church.  I believe homosexuality is wrong.  I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman and that children need the influence of BOTH a man an woman in their home.  I'm not one of those people, however, who believes homosexuality is a choice.  The Church does teach that it is not always a choice, but a temptation and a real struggle that people have to deal with.  It is how you handle the temptation that allows you salvation or not.  For some people it might be a choice; a way of anti-conformity or a way to get attention.  For the majority of people I don't think this is so, however.  Most people do not have a choice when it comes to sexuality.


Beside all of my beliefs about sexuality that come from my religion are my beliefs that come from the Constitution and philosophies of those that created our government.


Government is here to serve the people; not vice versa.


Government is here to protect our rights, not give them to us.


If government can give you rights, then it can take them away any time it feels like it.  Their job is to protect our rights, so far as our rights don't infringe on others rights.  For example:  You can't kill someone legally because that is taking away their legal right to LIFE.  I also believe abortion should not be legal because it is taking away a child's right to LIFE. (If you don't want the consequences don't do the act... rape/incest are different stories but I believe other options should be considered long before abortion ever is)  Stealing is illegal because it takes away someone's right to the bread of their own earnings.


So if Gay Marriage should be illegal..... wait... who is that hurting?  Is it taking away religious people's right to marry?  Guess not.... wait, will it force religions to marry gay people when they believe homosexuality is wrong?  No, you can't do that either.  Religions can still do pretty much whatever they want as a private institution.  Heck, they could refuse membership to anybody who isn't white and get away with it.  That is obviously not an excuse.  What about the children?  The children need to be raised by both a mother AND a father.  It's taking away the children's right to both parents.  Unfortunately most children today are born out of wedlock and are raised by SINGLE parents.  In these situations they are far more likely to end up in poverty or not graduate high school.  Aren't two of anything better than one?  If one more parent could help this child achieve their dreams then does it matter what sex that parent is?


If gays are not AT LEAST allowed the same rights as married couples such as hospital visits, then married couples should not get these rights either.  The word marriage is clouded by religion and brings up strong feelings of morality in religious people, however if that's the way they see it then marriage should ONLY be a religious institution and the government should not pass any laws pertaining to it at all.  No tax breaks or special privileges for married couples should exist if it is a purely religious institution.


"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion"  If it is homosexuality is simply a moral/religious issue then isn't congress (or even the people voting on the laws) effectively establishing a religion by saying homosexuals cannot get married?


Have people forgotten what the Founding Fathers believed when they declared their independence from Britain?  Can we really deny anyone their happiness when it isn't hurting anybody else's?


"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Easy way to clean a stove top

I don't know about you, but I don't like buying different cleaners for every different thing.... and beyond that I don't like having to fun out to the store to buy cleaner at the last minute.  I prefer finding ways to use things I already have around the house to clean.  Two of my favorite things are vinegar and baking soda.  They are the best products and it frustrates me that they sell baking soda in a little tiny box.... so I was super excited when I was looking in the food storage section at Wal Mart and they had a huge can of it :D

This is my stove after I've used just normal cleaner to wipe it down:

Anyways, I have found that these miracle workers do wonders on cleaning my stove (and my greasy oven window!)  I just sprinkle baking soda over the crusty areas, take some vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it on the baking soda, and watch the fuzziness clean my stove for me for a few minutes.  Then I take a Brillo pad, or similar scrubby thing, and scrub away.  The black comes off like magic!  And for those few hard to get marks a razor blade usually does the trick.


This is my stove after scrubbing with vinegar and baking soda!

Easy Taco Soup

A few weeks ago someone asked me what I make for dinner when I realize that dinner was supposed to be an hour ago.  I thought on that and realized our Go-To meal seems to be taco soup.  It is delicious and satisfying, we almost always have the ingredients for it, and it is easy to double or triple if you're extra hungry.  This is the recipe we use for it:

First, brown 1 lb of ground beef

Then add 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 can corn (drained), and 1 can kidney beans
Mix in 1 packet of taco seasoning (sometimes I substitute chili seasoning and it's just as yummy)

And you are left with a delicious and easy meal (and if you're careful not too much of a mess to clean up! Unlike me....)