Small Business as an Excuse to Oppose Gay
Marriage? WTF?!?!
MSNBC: Countdown with Keith Olbermann
May 18, 2009
Keith Olbermann lambasts RNC Chair Michael
Steele over Steele's comments that marriage equality
could economically burden small businesses.
Olbermann: "[L]egalizing gay marriage is, in fact, a
really simple-to- understand gold mine, especially
in terms of jump-starting a lousy economy like, say,
the one you Republicans gave us [...]"
OLBERMANN: Finally tonight, Chairman Michael
Steele
of the Republican National Committee says his
party can re-tool its message and sell it to a
broader base by recasting its culture war issues as
lessons in pocketbook economy. For instance, he now
says if it paints gay marriage as an attack on small
business, because they have to pay more health care,
because all those gay partners would suddenly be gay
husbands and gay wives, and legally designated gay
beneficiaries.
Our number one story, what the—“now, all of a
sudden,” Steele warns, “I`ve got someone who wasn`t
a spouse before that I had no responsibility for,
who`s now getting claimed as a spouse that I now
have financial responsibility for. So how do I pay
for that? Who pays for that? You just cost me
money.”
You want to sell opposition to gay marriage on
economic grounds as a kind of drag on small
business? Um, Mr. Steele, in this country, weddings
are a 70 billion dollar a year industry, B billion,
as in Bridezilla, 70 billion. Most of it spread
among local florists, local jewelers, local
caterers, local photographers, local hotels, local
restaurants, local bridal stores.
,Admittedly the number of wedding gowns order
when two men get married is usually zero. But think
of the all-women weddings, with two gowns and two
sets of bridesmaids.
Seriously, legalizing gay marriage is, in fact, a
really simple-to- understand gold mine, especially
in terms of jump-starting a lousy economy like, say,
the one you Republicans gave us, the one that is
doing a lot of more harm to the small businessman
right now than would a minor increase in spousal
benefits.
There is a reason that a lot of conservatives in
California opposed Prop 8 last year. Before the
rights of same-sex couples were repealed there, UCLA
had published a study calculating that just in
California the wedding business in the state was
going to explode by 684 million dollars over three
years. Same-sex marriage would have created 2,200
jobs just in California. Same-sex marriage would
have created 64 million bucks in additional state
tax revenues just in California.
Same-sex marriage would have created nine million
just in lousy county marriage license fees just in
California.
Five years ago, Forbes did an amazing set of
extrapolations as to what nationwide same-sex
marriages would mean to the economy, based on the
calculation there would be 464,000 additional
hitchings. Reception, catering and wedding planning
up 4.7 billion dollars, 153 million of that just to
the wedding planners. Wedding gift purchases, 3.94
billion; honeymoons, 1.7 billion; engagement rings,
1.66 billion; wedding gowns and other apparel, 1.3
billion; photography and video, an even billion;
flora and decor, another 816 million; music and
entertainment, 659 million; wedding bands, 604
million; invitations and stationary, 217 million;
cakes, 197 million.
Total increase in our gross national wedding
product, 16 billion 800 million dollars, 16.8
billion dollars. My god, Steele, it`s a stimulus
package.
Not only am I surprised you are trying to kill it
as a drain on small businesses. But at these rates,
I`m shocked you Republicans didn`t try to make it
mandatory.
As usual, he is Michael, hey I just thought of
this, Steele. And he is so wrong as to be laughable.
The stationers of America, as we move further and
further away from the printed page, they are
dropping like flies. You`re going to sell them on
the new revitalized GOP by explaining to them how
great banning same sex marriage is for small
business. By the way, they can`t have the 217
million dollars more a year that same-sex weddings
would bring them?
It`s genius, genius, I tells ya.
In fact, there is such a fabulous brain pulsing
under that notable Steele skull I`m sure this is
just the start of social issues which he can
camouflage as economics without thinking the whole
thing 100 percent of the way. Well, thinking it
through 75 percent—50—at all.
For instance, we in the Republican party should
oppose increased spending on education because if
you have a better educated American kid, think how
much more hiring him will cost America`s small
business man in the future. We in the GOP say, keep
them stupid. They cost less that way. I mean,
McDonald`s must be doing something right.
