I’ve noticed, over the years, that conservatives tend to be fans of “pilot programs” for their favorite conservative social experiments. I don’t think they’ll like it, but I have another possible addition to their list.
This is a common policy move. Conservatives, for example, want to use public funds to subsidize private religious education through vouchers. The rest of us say that’s a bad idea and point to a variety of likely negative consequences. Conservatives respond, “How about a few pilot programs? How do we know the concerns have merit unless we try it out?”
The idea is, the government would offer voucher subsidies in a few places to see how (and if) they have the desired effect. We’ll study the results and decide how best to proceed.
With that in mind, how about a few gay marriage pilot programs?
This may sound silly, but hear me out. The left insists that gay couples should be allowed to marry and create stable, legally-recognized families that benefit the greater community. The right insists this would destroy American society, create “confusion” about what marriage is, and according to Rick “Man on Dog” Santorum, actually lead straight couples to abandon the institution of marriage altogether.
Who’s right? Who knows? But there’s a good way to find out. Let’s give it a shot in a few places and see whose predictions turn out to be accurate.
Following the conservatives’ voucher model, I’m proposing a five-year pilot program that allows, say, a half-dozen geographically diverse cities to voluntarily start recognizing same-sex marriages. We already have a few volunteers in California, New York, New Mexico, Washington, etc.
After five years of even-handed social science research, we can revisit these questions to see if the conservatives’ fears have merit or not. Are straight couples still getting married in these areas? Has the family structure deteriorated? Have hellmouths opened beneath these cities unleashing untold evils upon the citizenry?
I have a hunch I know what would happen, but then again, Gary Bauer would probably predict something different. Let’s put the debate to rest and give it a shot.
C’mon, rightwingers, what do you have to lose? If you’re confident in your expectations, you should be anxious to help prove us libs wrong. Here’s your chance; feel free to take advantage of it.