After President Obama declared that the Department of Justice should cease enforcing the Defense of Marriage Act, it was obvious that there would be simultaneous celebration and revulsion from those who support and oppose equal marriage, respectively. Now it is becoming clear exactly what those who are in favor of keeping the Defense of Marriage Act alive are willing to do to continue the oppression of the queer community. Republican representatives in the House are using up to $500,000 in taxpayer dollars to pay a law firm to fight this legal battle.
This is an absolutely abhorrent move made by these members of Congress. $500,000 is understandably a small amount in comparison to other government expenditures, but this is a significant chunk of money that should not be used to uphold a discriminatory law without. That amount of money could be used to fund scholarships for underprivileged students or any other number of ways to improve this country, but instead it is being used to fight against progress and equality. This is blatant anathema to the constant Republican promise to cut government spending - wastefully using taxpayer money when it is wholly unnecessary to do so. These are the same men and women who fought to cut funding to Planned Parenthood on the grounds that it did not deserve government money due to the services it provides.
This whole web of hypocrisy goes to show that many in government today are more interested in keeping partisan lines well-drawn and enforced as opposed to doing what was best for the country. Cutting a necessary organization to save money just because one disapproves of some of its services is wrong, and so too is spending money that will be used to uphold discrimination that has no place in government in the first place.
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