Gay marriage issue

[TomOfSweden]

Oh, Tom. You are underestimating the power the all mighty dollar has on business in America. From the Kaiser Family Foundation, here's a stat for you. "Annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance for 2006 average $4,242 for single coverage and $11,480 for family coverage. Employees contribute an average of $627 annually for single coverage and $2,973 annually for family coverage, with significant variation around these averages. Legalize gay marriage, have all the gay employees sign up for their now rightful benefits, and a company of 5000 employees is looking at an estimated additional 2.5 million dollars in insurance costs. (and I used a very conservative 5% homosexual population to figure that cost...go with 10% as some studies suggest, and that's almost 5 million dollars!)

If a company can keep even one of those dollars for themselves as opposed to using it on the workforce, they will. Period. And you think that's an argument that won't hold up?? Money matters. And if keeping gay marriage from being legal will save big business big money, you'd better believe that they will do whatever it takes to keep it status quo where gays are concerned.

I think you're wrong. My point is that it is blatant oppression of a minority. Compare it to Blacks. If blacks only where able to make couples but not get married, just because we don't want them to access the same benefits as everybody else. I don't believe it's about the money at all. Anybody bringing up the "power of the all mighty dollar", would get stoned to death in a situation like that. It's only about the repression, not money. US companies have a state sanctioned right to pick on Gays. That's why they aren't paying out money. It's not the other way around.

We aren't repressing you in any way. We are encouraging your ass in every way possible! And what jeanne said, "goodwill" and all.

I'm just kidding. Feel free to ogle.