THE REPUBLICAN ARGUMENT FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Yes, you read that correctly.

I will be presenting THE REPUBLICAN ARGUMENT FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY.

This piece can trace its roots to as far back as October 2008 when I discovered the ECONOMIC arguments supporting marriage equality. Before that I supported the SOCIAL arguments for marriage equality. Since then, I have incorporated the economic benefits into my reasoning for supporting marriage equality. If I remember correctly, I said in e-mail 24 hours before the 2008 election that I would become an ordained minister so I could make some money off of it.

“Stay up to see if CA allows gay marriage or not. I'll stay up for [people near and dear to my heart]. If it passes here are the numbers that get injected into the state economy: $684 million into the state's economy over the next 3 years, generate $64 million in state taxes, $9 million in fee for counties, and 2200 jobs. (you'll be surprised where I got the source from) Sounds like a good idea to jumpstart a sagging economy? Hmmm.... can you say ordained minister is in my future?”

-         E-mail sent to my Aunt Keri, dated November 3, 2008

Can you blame me? I like money. Plus, it would be an example of capitalism being used for good.

Earlier this year, Theodore Olsen wrote a piece for Newsweek titled “The Conservative Argument for Gay Marriage.” If that name sounds familiar, he was the attorney who argued for Bush in Bush v. Gore (2000). Currently he has teamed up with his opponent, David Boies, from that landmark case to argue before the U.S. District Court in Northern California to overturn Proposition 8.

These gentlemen were interviewed by Bill Moyers earlier this year. Here is the interview.

Ladies and gentlemen, Michael’s Rant presents…

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM SUPPORTING GAY MARRIAGE

Our arguments for supporting gay marriage are based on these principles:

·       Since we believe in individual liberty, citizens have every right to enter into any form of a contractual agreement between consenting adults.

·       A marriage is a contractual agreement between consenting parties similar to when two companies enter into an agreement to merge. The government has no right to interfere in that matter.

·       For a marriage to be validated, it must fall under these two categories:

§  Both parties involved must be non-related adults

§  It must be consensual

·       Any marriage or attempt to form a marriage that does not fall under the above stated criterion must be condemned and if necessary prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

·       A study conducted by The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law in June 2008 during the campaign on Proposition 8 highlighted the economic benefits to the state of California if gay marriage was legalized. Some of the highlights:

§  $684 million spent by gay couples on flowers, cakes, hotels, photographers, and any other wedding services over the next three years.

§  During this three year period, it is projected that at least 50,000 California gay couples will marry. In addition during that time period, 68,000 gay couples are expected to travel to California in order to exchange nuptials. This surge of people exchanging vows is expected to create approximately 2200 jobs.

§  In addition to job creation, there would be a generation of $64 million in state taxes and $9 million for county taxes.

·       This economic boom would create a trickle-down effect that would stimulate the economy of California and create new industries and businesses that would cater to an emerging specific group of people.

·       True Family Values is creating strong, viable family units which are the cornerstone for our nation. No government has the right to impede in any citizen’s right to participate in this most cherished American value.

·       Even though we strongly adhere that the states have the right to govern their citizens as they know best, our party was founded on the basis that Civil Rights is a national issue.

·       The right to marry is the last major Civil Rights hurdle for our nation to clear in order to “form that more perfect Union,” an idea explicitly mentioned in the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America.

This should be the Republican’s platform on marriage equality.

Instead, we get…

This… (bottom of Page 6 of the State GOP Platform , making it a felony to marry a same-sex couple, other platforms that uphold my statement of “There is RIGHT and then there is RIGHT OFF THE CLIFF!”)

and THIS…