(Syndicated to Kansas newspapers Feb. 10, 2014)
Gay marriage opponents—some churches and apparently wedding cake bakers—have stirred one of the strangest bills that Kansas legislators have dealt with in years.
The issue is relatively simple. Gay marriage is not recognized in Kansas, even if the couple has gone to a state that allows gay marriage, wed, and returned to Kansas. When that couple returns to Kansas to live and work, and presumably do that “consumption spending” that will balance the state budget, they won’t necessarily get the same government services that boy/girl married couples get under terms of the bill.