A gay couple asked the DC attorney general a simple question: "Since we were legally married in Massachusetts, can we file joint District tax returns?"
The attorney general's answer was simple. "If you believe you were legally married, then you can file a joint return, but the chief financial officer has the final say."
That simple question and equally simple answer sent the conservatives in Congress scurrying for their combat gear. How dare those queers think that they could file joint returns just because one state has an unconstitutional marriage law on the books?
Sen Sam Brownback (R-Kan) drew out the big guns and aimed them straight for the mayor of DC and the chief financial officer. The not too subtle hint was allow the joint filing and watch your budget shrink to nothing.
The District is in a unique position. Congress has final say over everything District-related, including the city's budget. Residents have a voice and the mayor speaks for them and Congress hears them. When the people or mayor speak trigger words - like gay - that Congress doesn't like, the mayor and the citizens become mimes in Congress' eyes. The DC mayor and residents are amusing to watch for a little bit before they become annoying. Their lips move, but, thank God, no sound comes out.
The chief financial officer saw Congress' big guns aimed squarely on his forehead and he blinked. Showdown over. That gay couple can't file joint returns.
Whether DC residents or law says otherwise or not is unimportant.
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