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Health & Fitness

IL HOP to IA, MN; Take our gay wedding money, please take it! The sequel‏

Back on June 23rd I posted this economic consideration on the marriage equality debate in Illinois:
 
Having just married off my second daughter, I have an inkling of the tremendous spending involved on dozens of Illinois businesses, not to mention the substantial sums spent in Illinois by hundreds of guests, both local and out of state. The total could easily average $50,000 or more per. Since no legal gay wedding can be held in Illinois, gay couples and their guests must spend that dough in nearby states Iowa or Minnesota, or one of the 11 other civilized states not governed by their version of the Illinois HOP (Homophobe Only Party) that currently blocks marriage equality in Illinois. That's $50 million in lost revenue to Illinois for every 1,000 Illinois gay marriages that could take place right here in the Land of Lincoln.
 
I don't know if Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak saw that post but he's in Chi Town this week poaching millions in Illinois gay wedding dollars for the great, progressive state of Minnesota which legalized gay marriage as of August 1. Rybak is a gentle gay wedding dollar poacher, actually pleading with the Illinois HOP (a.k.a. GOP) to legalize gay marriage so he won't have to come here to grab a our desperately needed gay wedding loot:   "I'm a supporter of marriage equality and I hope someday Illinois will take away the advantage Minneapolis has. In the meantime, we're open for business"
 
Tragically for Illinois gays and Illinois businesses, the Four Homophobe Enablers of the Apocalypse vying for the HOP gubernatorial nomination, State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, State Senator Bill Brady, Romneyesque money mogul Bruce Rauner and my State Senator Kirk Dillard, have all closed their heart and their pocketbook and collectively shouted "Nyet" to gay marriage in Illinois. They are all political cowards terrified of being dumped in the HOP Primary by the  HOP homophobes who control the destiny of any HOP candidate seeking high office in the Land of Lincoln (and Homophobes).
 
Come on guys! Just in case you think my above estimate of $50 million was far fetched, the UCLA think tank The Williams Institute estimates that legalization  of same sex marriage in Illinois could spur over $100 million in wedding and tourism spending over three years.
 
I'll close this marriage equality update with the same request I made of the Four Homophobe Enablers of the Apocalypse on June 23rd:  Dillard, Rutherford, Brady and Rauner need a "sit-down", Mafia style, to form a united front against the ignorant, the fearful and yes, the haters, who call the shots in the Illinois HOP. They could hold a joint news conference to unveil their peace pact which will mean whoever wins the primary will campaign to govern 100 % of Illinois citizens. And they needn't worry about the HOP's chief ideologue Rep. Jeanne Ives (HOP, 48th), calling them "disordered" and "weasels" for breaking the HOP covenant of prejudice. She has proven over and over that she ain't ready for Prime Time.

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