Issue Position: Marriage and Family

Issue Position

What is a family and how should it be protected? These are two major questions on the political field today.

Some define a family as either two men, two women, a man and a woman, or even several mixed genders. It is argued that "family" should have a flexible definition so that it is more encompassing and less restrictive. All these definitions, it is said, should have the same equal footing under the law and receive all the rights and privileges as traditional marriage.

God instituted the family starting with one man and one woman. This is the historical definition of marriage and one that the state has followed since the founding of the country. Either the biblical definition of marriage is followed or man's ever-changing definition defines the family. I support the biblical definition.

The government should uphold the traditional family rather than financially hinder it. For example, there should be tax benefits for "married filing jointly" status not a penalty. Adequate tax deductions for the raising of children should be indexed with the inflation rate. There should not be an inheritance tax because it does not allow parents to help their children get a start in life.

Concerning children from this union, parental rights must always favor the family and not the government. Parents are responsible for the well being of their children and should not be subjected to warrantless intrusion by the government. For instance, schooling choice, be it public, private, or home is the responsibility of the parent. In all, except cases involving the physical safety of the child, government should be a support to the family, not an artificial parent or pseudo-family to the child.

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