God hates jointly filed tax returns?

Timothy Kincaid

June 29th, 2010

The New York Democratic leadership is at war. With itself. Again.

This time Governor Paterson and the legislature are battling over control of the state’s budget. Paterson, a Democrat, is vetoing spending and tax hikes while the House and Senate, led by Democrats, fear that Paterson’s methods will set a precedent that will shift power to future governors. And as the Democratic Party holds a very narrow majority in the Senate, any defections can turn the whole thing over to Republicans in the Senate to advance their spending priorities.

So Ruben Diaz, one of the less ethical players in Albany, has taken opportunity of the situation and threatened to deny his vote to Democrats in the legislature unless he be allowed to dictate tax policy for gay couples.

Same-sex marriages conducted in New York State are not recognized. However, if another state allows same-sex marriage, then New York will honor and recognize that marriage. Thus, those who marry in Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Washington D.C., or Iowa can return home as a happily married couple.

But that doesn’t mean that all things are equal. For example, couples do not have the right in the State of New York to file a joint tax return. The state says, in effect, “Yes, we recognize that you are a married couple, but lie and tick the “single” box and pay the higher tax rate.”

So Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell proposed an amendment to the appropriations bill to allow legally recognized same-sex married couples to file their state income taxes in exactly the same manner as opposite sex couples. Well that was just too much for Senator Diaz.

Because Diaz answers to his God. Or his ego… which might be the same thing. But anyway, his theocratic impulses tell him that God wants gay people to pay higher taxes.

“That’s something I’m not comfortable with and we are working on it,” said Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., concerned about a provision allowing married same-sex couples to file joint tax returns. “Right now we are working something out….we have 32 Democratic senators. Next year we may have 34. We might have 30. Next year things might change. As long as we have 32, as long as we have 32, each member should be respected.”

Earlier, Diaz Sr. stormed out of conference saying “stupid, stupid, stupid.” A few minutes after saying the above, he said he had the provision excised from the budget bill.

As usual, the leadership caved to Diaz.

Tommy

June 29th, 2010

The Democratic Party loves to sell out its base…

GreenEyedLilo

June 29th, 2010

Goddamn, this is maddening! Funny how Diaz thinks he deserves respect but disrespects thousands of New Yorkers. Sad that he got his “respect.”

Paul F

June 29th, 2010

Wow, another Democrat dissing the gays and taking us for granted.
Why can’t all Democrats be upright like Obama and follow through on pledges like undoing DOMA and repealing DADT?
Oh wait … nevermind.

Randy

June 29th, 2010

Wow… Almost makes you want to vote Tea Party in the fall doesn’t it? At least you can’t be sold out by those who never bought you in the first place.

Lindoro Almaviva

June 29th, 2010

The question is, what are the gay men and women in his district doing to make sure this a-hole is sent back to his church unemployed, or at least employed by anyone else than the tax payers of new york?

Donnchadh

June 30th, 2010

The difference in taxes between married couples and seperate payers has to be removed. As long as it is there there will be an aspect of convenience to marriage, and that will poison any discussion. (Imagine if the debates over taxes, welfare, stimuli, bailouts and free trade had money at stake – the issues might never be resolved.)

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