Fifteen minutes ago my voicemail recorded an automated message that asked me:
“Do you agree that marriage should be legal only between one man and one woman in America?”
The National Organization for Marriage paid for this survey. They will be in Annapolis today. This is the third time they have left this message on my voicemail. The definition of marriage in America has become a huge issue. The mainstream media constantly addresses it, people join facebook groups that pertain to it, young people who do not follow politics debate and talk about it, and now I am receiving phone surveys about it. Most people out there cannot balance a check book and do not understand interest rates, but they can give you a strong opinion about who and what should be considered married.
Marriage is a religious institution that has become politicized. I have pointed out that in Baltimore many of our leaders love to bring up religious symbols and sayings in order to distract the population from issues directly impacting their lives. Church membership is more important than mathematical ability. This national marriage debate is something that Baltimore’s City council and mayor cannot alter. At every level of government and in every aspect of our lives there is an ongoing economic crisis that is threatening to send society in chaos and politicians want to talk about marriage. At every level of government our leaders can install fiscal restraints that could easily make our future economic situation less catastrophic.
Somebody out there donated the money to the National Organization for Marriage that paid for the telephone surveys I have received over the last few days. That person probably cares a lot about marriage issues. I don’t think that marriage is a non-issue, but I think that exposing the economic realities that most of our leaders and mainstream media refuse to address or understand is a much higher priority that deserves funding. Everyone out there needs to learn how to prioritize issues so that our leaders can no longer hide from the most pressing of economic matters. Do not let emotional issues blind you from economic realities. I think both sides of the marriage debate would agree that a same-sex marriage in a city up in flames due to economically induced social unrest (riots) would not be a pleasant situation with which to deal.
Adam is the most recognizable face of the recent resurgence in Reservoir Hill. He has appeared on many national and local radio shows, in several news publications, and at numerous events discussing his innovative urban redevelopment ideas and his unique lifestyle. Adam is a successful entrepreneur, community activist, and a local political guru who ran for city council in 2007. He is the founder and director of the TechBalt.com Buy a Block Project and BaltimoreHourly.com. His fearless local political commentary has rocked the local blog scene for most of this decade and he plans to take it to the next level in the next decade here on Charm City Current.