/uly2.2Û04-jMSt
17
YOUR BENTON COUNTY & SALEM
FAMILY REAL ESTATE CONNECTION
the amendment. Bob
that avoids such a dis
Barr and I see eye to
play of weakness.
eye that this amend
Social conservatives
ment would undermine
continue to assert that
our Constitution.”
politics is not involved
Patrick Guerriero,
in scheduling a vote on
executive director of
the amendment imme
Log Cabin Republicans,
diately prior to the
added: “Not one more
Democratic National
dime of taxpayer money
Convention, but few
should be wasted debat
observers buy that
ing a discriminatory
argument, claiming it’s
amendment that its
all about politics.
sponsors already admit
One concern is
has no chance of pass
whether Sen. John
ing. It is an abuse of the
Kerry of Massachusetts,
constitutional process
the presumed Demo
and a disservice to the
cratic nominee for
American people to ig
president, will be pre
nore the important busi
sent to vote on the
ness pending before the
amendment or conve
Senate in order to play
niently will be on the
politics with our nation’s
campaign trail.
founding document.”
There also is a
Senate Republican
growing fear an ong
leaders have said they
gay advocates that
will schedule a vote on
Democratic
Leader
the amendment in
Tom Daschle will
mid-July, although it is
renege on his stated
not clear what lan
opposition to the
guage will be put to a
amendment and vote
—Patrick Leahy
vote. The confusion is
for it because of a tight
in part because the
re-election campaign
leadership is bypassing a vote in the Judiciary
in South Dakota. If he caves in to right-wing
Committee to clarify the situation.
pressure, then several other Democrats are
Two Republican members of the committee
likely to follow. JF1
have stated their opposition to the amend
B ob R oehr Ì5 a free-lance reporter based in
ment, so it is likely that the leadership would
Washington, D.C.
lose that vote. They have chosen a strategy
"This debate is not about
preserving the sqnctity of
marriage, it is about
preserving a Republican
White House and Senate"
M oney T alks
Analysis shows little impact of same-sex marriage on federal budget
I support GALA choruses!
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CLARK HOUSE
Sales Associate
ecognizing same-sex marriages
would actually reduce federal
I
JL
expenditures by a small amount,
less than $1 billion a year in the
$2.4 trillion budget. That was the
surprising conclusion of “The Potential Bud
getary Impact of Recognizing Same-Sex Mar
riages,” an analysis performed by the Con
gressional Budget Office.
Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, chairman of
the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the
Constitution, requested the analysis. It was
released June 21.
“In some cases, recognizing same-sex mar
riages would increase outlays and revenues; in
other cases, it would have the opposite
effect,” the analysis said. It assumed that
same-sex marriage was recognized in all 50
states and by the federal government and that
half of the 1.2 million adults identified in the
2000 census as living in same-sex households
would marry.
“On balance, legalization of same-sex mar
riages would have only a small impact on fed
eral tax revenues, CBO estimates,” the analy
sis said. “Revenues would be slightly higher;
by less than $400 million a year.... Those
amounts represent less than 0.1 percent of
total federal revenues.
“Recognizing same-sex marriages would
increase outlays for Social Security and for
the Federal Employees Health Benefits pro
gram, CBO estimates, but would reduce
spending for Supplemental Security Income,
Medicaid and Medicare. Effects on other pro
grams would be negligible. Altogether, CBO
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JOHN BUTLER
concludes, recognizing same-sex marriage
would affect outlays by less than $50 million
a year in either direction through 2009 and
reduce them by about $100 million to $200
millicm annually from 2010 through 2014.”
The analysis continued, “As a general
rule, married people fere better under Social
Security than single people do, and married
couples with one earner fere better than two-
earner couple« do.” But same-sex couples
would see only modest gains in this area, first
because they are more likely to have two
wage earners and ones who make more simi
lar incomes than traditional two-income
households, and second because widows gen
erally outlive their spouses by six to seven
years while same-sex couples are likely to
have more similar life expectancies.
“Congress’ own analysis shows America
would benefit from equal protection,” said
Cheryl Jacques, president of the Human
Rights Campaign. “It’s clear that giving all
American families equal protection won’t
harm the bottom line.”
Some social conservatives have asserted
recently that allowing same-sex marriage will
cost a fortune. Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala.,
raised that bugaboo during a House hearing
May 13 when he ticked off a list of federal
benefits and said extending those to same-sex
couples will “just break the bank..,. It will
cost billions of dollars."
The report should lay that line of accusa
tions to rest. But because right-wing opposi
tion to same-sex marriage is based on feith
and not reason, don’t hold your breath. JR
of Jay Margrey & Associates
Prudential
Canterai« Itealty
760-323-5000 x 145
johnbutler36@verizon. net
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