The Economics of Marriage Equality

If the moral imperative favoring marriage equality won't sway the right, maybe $100 million will.  That's how much gay marriage injected into the Massachusetts economy over the past five years.  

According to one study, "marriage equality resulted in an increase of younger, female, and more highly educated and skilled individuals in same-sex couples moving to the state."  And according to another, same-sex couples’ weddings injected significant spending into the Massachusetts economy and brought out-of-state guests to the state, whose spending also added to the economic boost."

Perhaps this is one reason why states with somee of the biggest budget shortfalls  - Massachusetts, California and Connecticut - are the one's leading the charge on marriage equality.  

-Kathleen A. Bergin

Comments

[Joe]

It shouldn't be surprising, I guess. Why else does the state care about people getting married except to tax them or somehow make money off of them?

[Robert]

I'm confused... California is leading the charge on marriage equality? Did I miss the November election?

[Kathy Bergin]

I'm not counting California out. Forecast for today's decision doesn't bode well, and admittedly there have been setbacks. But CA was second to Mass in recognizing marriage equality, and I bet money they'll get there long before states in the region I'm in.

Perhaps its all relative.

[Robert]

I guess I'm confused as well because when they recognized marriage equality, it was through the courts, not the legislature (who would generally seek to do something as a result of budget issues), and I don't think they even had severe budget problems at the time. I must admit, I'm not 100% familiar with the topic, so I may be mistaken on these points.

[Yes we can]

In all the chatter on this blog, and the internet in general regarding the gay marriage issue, I find the omission of one fact particularly interesting:
Our dear leader, Barrack Obama (and VP Biden) DO NOT support gay marriage.

Rather, they are on the record as supporting marriage ONLY between one male human being of legal age and one female human being of legal age. Indeed, Obama reiterated this position in his most recent televised interview with Brian Williams.

These guys strike me as pretty intelligent, and well respected. Indeed, I suspect many of the readers and writers of this blog are the same that sport "Yes We Can" bumper stickers and pictures of an Obama gazing inquisitively to the sky. If they can have this position, and be elected and supported by some of the foremost liberal minds, why can't I hold that same position?

Indeed, I find myself perfectly aligned WITH BARRACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN ON THIS ISSUE.

Now, both the President and VP support all the rights afforded to married couples to gay couples, but with one distinction - they cannot marry. Why is that? Are Obama and Biden ignorant Christian Neanderthals like the rest of the Christian world?

Obama said it "is a state issue" which clearly implies that this is something less than the major civil rights struggle of the 21st century. I doubt he'd say that integration was a state issue. Why is that?
So - maybe I too can hold that view, and not be intimidated by interests that don't agree. Hmmm...indeed.