RNC HEAD LOOKING TO ELIMINATE MARRIAGE TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES

May 16 2009

Savannah, GA – Decades after the Gay activist movement really took hold in the United States the debate over what rights should be afforded homosexuals continues to rage. In particular, the debate centres on the notion of same sex marriage, an issue that some see as a non-issue and others as a dire issue that threatens the very
sanctity of marriage. Not lost in the debate is the value of the issue in political circles with both sides using it to leverage their constituency.       

Such is the case with the chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele who on Saturday detailed the potential economic problems that gay marriage could bring. Amongst other issues, Steele detailed how new marriages amongst gay people could burden small businesses, a particular concern as businesses across the country continue to suffer. Though Steele stopped short of condemning marriage entirely, many felt that his new tact in the war on gay marriage could in fact be an attack on the institution of marriage entirely that could undo the sanctity of the union more than gay marriage ever could.

“Now all of a sudden I've got someone who wasn't a spouse before, that I had no responsibility for, who is now getting claimed as a spouse that I now have financial responsibility for,” said Steele at a press conference in Georgia, as reported by AP .“So how do I pay for that? Who pays for that? You just cost me money.”

Taxation and medical costs generally increase when an employee is married, be that same sex or opposite marriage. The increased financial burden can be a make or break issue for many businesses that could potentially push some to brink of bankruptcy.

“No one wants to be the one that sinks a business and puts people out of work. Marriage is supposed to be a happy time, a time of celebration but the spectre of bankruptcy and putting oneself and friends out of work could make a lot of take a second look at exactly what it is they are doing, be they gay or straight,” said Scrape
TV Family Values analyst Marge Hendricks. “Especially in these times when jobs are so difficult to come by, doing something selfish like getting married could really just be a risk that some people won’t be willing to make. Sure gay marriage hasn’t bankrupted countries like Canada or Sweden but this could be the tipping point that could send The United States down the path of economic ruin.”

Canada and Sweden have been two of the strongest economies in the current economic recession though there is no evidence that gay marriage has anything to do with that success.

“Best estimates put the number of gay people in a given population somewhere between 5 and 7 per cent which leaves at least 93 per cent of the population as heterosexual. If businesses could reduce those numbers but
somehow making people gay, or if they could simply discourage or prevent straight people from getting married the savings would be extraordinary, enough perhaps to bring the country out of this slump,” continued Hendricks. “What Steele is illuminating, perhaps in the name of partisan politics, perhaps out of genuine concern, is that marriage is extraordinarily expensive and a burden that employers should not have to bear. Unless we want to see a situation where hiring decisions are made based on a person’s marital status we either need to remove the associated costs or eliminate to process completely. The latter may be the best and easiest option and will also solve the debate over same-sex marriage entirely, leaving politicians free to debate things like education and healthcare.”

Steele has been married for 23 years. It is not immediately clear how much that marriage costs the Republican Party to maintain, nor if he would be willing to divorce for the good of the party.  

Edward Bastil, Political Correspondent

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