If you aren't convinced that same-sex marriage should be legalized for the obvious reasons (equality, liberty for all, compassion for people no matter what their differences, etc) the City Comptroller has another one for you. It's the money. NYC Comptroller William Thompson argued today in support of legalizing same-sex marriages because it is good for the economy. Just how good is it Mr Thompson?
From WNYC:
NEW YORK, NY June 05, 2007 —Weddings are a multi billion dollar industry - millions of which are spent here in New York. City Comptroller William Thompson used that argument today to say same-sex marriage would be good for the state economy and to urge state legislators to act on a languishing bill.
REPORTER: Thompson estimates that in the first three years of allowing gay marriage the city would attract an additional $142 million in wedding spending.
THOMPSON: The economic benefits would be derived primarily from wedding related spending by residents and visitors along with spending by their out of town visitors and guests.
So forget about the moral imperative to achieve equality for all Americans. If you don't care about people's moral right to try and be happy with someone they love then focus on the money. Crain's New York Business has more statistics about the matter. New York's economy is already booming largely due to soaring real estate prices, so why not tack on a few million that helps expand the marriage business?
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