I've often been asked why I'm a Republican.  I usually respond that I favor small government.  When you look at that statement, you might automatically think that I mean shrinking the size of government to reduce taxes.  If that's your assumption, you're correct.  Government needs to be smaller, and in an ideal situation, we wouldn't have an income tax.  In my opinion, high taxes infringe on our liberty, and that's something we should never tolerate.  In addition to supporting small government, I am prochoice, strongly support 2nd Amendment rights, and I support gay marriage.  Supporting small government and 2nd Amendment rights are common Republican positions, and being a prochoice Republican isn't as rare as you would think.  However, supporting gay marriage is another story.

     Social conservatives are adamantly opposed to gay marriage.  In many cases, they quote the Bible or mention their own personal moral beliefs as evidence that gay marriage is wrong.  I find that there aren't too many Republicans who would come out and voice their support for such a position.  However, if you look at the issue closely, I find that supporting gay marriage fits in with my belief system, as well as many traditional Republican views.

     Let's examine the issue in some depth.  First, Republicans tend to support small government.  To me, that means having a government that focuses on the "basics", preserves individual liberty, and stays out of the private lives of its citizens.  Among the most private of these decisions is who one should marry.  

     Republicans tend to emphasize family values.  In my view, supporting family values should involve encouraging marriage.  Many couples have children from previous relationships, and may be living together.  They are couples in every sense of the word, yet they lack legal protections afforded to heterosexual couples.  If these couples are living as families, they should be treated as any other family, with all the legal protections that entails.

     There are couples who have been together for years, purchased property together, and raised families.  By not allowing gay marriage, what are we stopping?  What are we preventing?  In my view, fair treatment and the rights that are shared by heterosexual couples.  Just as the government should not levy excessive taxes or infringe on our ability to purchase a gun, it should not tell its citizens who they can marry.  If those beliefs are not conservative at heart, I don't know what is.