Gay marriage draws more support

I would like to respond to Jim Finnegan's Oct. 4 letter to the editor. In 2010, I find it extremely saddening that religious values and outdated beliefs would take center stage on a personal endorsement over issues that face this and future generations: out-of-control spending, tax policy, debt repayment and overall economic stability.

To refer to gay adoption an “untested social experiment” is to completely ignore the last two decades of research showing that children when being raised by caring, loving and responsible parents will grow and mature regardless of their parents' demographics or relationship status. This status cannot be a full indicator of how well a child is raised because it ignores more pressing factors.

For one, many children grow up with heterosexual married parents and still have problems, which is partially because Americans work longer hours, commute greater distances, and make less, while groceries, homes and transportation cost much more. It now takes two incomes to provide what one provided 50 years ago. All this makes it more challenging to raise children in general, regardless of marital status.

Further, as constitutionally required, church and state should be completely be separate. One's religious views have no place in legislating what is considered to be a legal marriage. If we waited for legislation to make things right, then as a nation it would have taken longer for women to be able to vote, for children of all races to sit side-by-side in classrooms, and for us to fully know our due process rights. Both political parties ignore the reality that the electorate is moving toward acceptance of gay marriages and/or civil unions, regardless of personal political party affiliation.

In November, I will be sure to vote for those who want to move this nation forward and not those stuck in the past.

David Sarama

Lombard