The bill affirms that no religious group or official would be required to perform or recognize same-sex marriages.
If a church does not want to perform a marriage ceremony for a same-sex couple or allow gay people to become ministers, this bill would not change its ability to act that way.
This bill simply says that marriage licenses cannot be denied to gay and lesbian couples.
Our government has created a system in which some heterosexual couples are granted hundreds of state-level protections and responsibilities. This is done to help strengthen their families and help them raise their children.
These same protections must be extended to the thousands of gays and lesbians in Maryland who are also making their lives and raising families in our great state.
This issue is about civil rights.
Maryland has been a leader on many issues of fairness in employment and other equality issues.
There will always be people who oppose equal marriage rights, just as there were people who once did not think that interracial couples should be allowed to marry.
But the Assembly should honor Maryland's history of fairness and justice by supporting this important legislation.
Morgan Sheets
Ellicott City
Tech tax helps meet state's fiscal needs
In its November special session, the General Assembly applied the state's 6 percent sales tax to computer services.
Members of the state's technology business sector are now pushing hard for the tax to be repealed ("Tech tax will cost state jobs, revenue," letters, March 1). The Assembly should stand firm and retain the tax.
The main focus of our state's economy has shifted from goods to services. But our tax laws are still based on the old goods-based economy.
The revenues from the sales tax go mostly to help pay for health and education. These are important public functions with growing unmet needs.
The state cannot ignore these escalating needs in its budget, and it cannot ignore this large and growing business sector in its tax base.
Computer services tax opponents say the tax will cause technology jobs to stream out of state. I don't believe it. Businesses are here to take advantage of Maryland's well-educated work force, to be close to federal government agencies or to be close to other customers. A 6 percent tax is not going to outweigh those advantages in very many cases.
The main problem with the computer services sales tax is that it singled out just one sector to add to the list of services currently subject to the sales tax.
In the future, the state should move to include a broad range of services in the sales tax. This could perhaps be packaged with a reduction in the overall sales tax rate.
In the meantime, the Assembly should not take a step backward.
Neil L. Bergsman
Baltimore
The writer is director of the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute.
Expectant elephant may need new name
So Felix the elephant is having a baby ("Zoo expecting big day," March 6)?
Can we change her name to Felicity now?
Judy Chernak
Pikesville
