Will New England's trend toward gay-friendliness suck tax dollars and business out of cash-strapped California?
preg_replace('/<\/?p( [^>]*)?>[ ]*/', ' ', preg_replace('/California may see a large percentage of its single, upwardly motivated and mobile population head eastward, along with their bank accounts, tax dollars, and businesses for friendlier shores. When Iowa beat out the once gay-friendliest state of the nation in passing its gay marriage legislation, many thought that Proposition 8 was their “last straw” and predicted a mass exodus. Though many are holding out out of loyalty, just as many, if not more, are getting ready to pack their bags. Gays and lesbians have more of an advantage in terms of liquid available cash, and a tendency to spend it on vacations, businesses, and causes that are gay-friendlier in places that are more gay-friendly.…
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments26 - roger nowosielski
Plus, the old farts are dying and a new generation is about. Gavin Newsome set the precedent. California will always be on the cutting edge.
27 - Jet Gardner
I have to laugh, a friend of mine in Nebraska of all places owns a very popular male clothing website, geared to only those .00001% of hunks and leather studs that can actually wear them and look good. Very expensive and very profitable.
He started out and flew to Hollywood, stopped at a post office and rented a box for mail, then had it forwarded to him in Nebraska.
His address is
the ******* *** ***** store
The street address of the post office
Suite (The post office box)
Hollywood, California
Nearly no one knows where it actually is, and some even swear they've been in his nonexistant Hollywood store. It's not a scam, just a business decision-and a damned good one. The models are photographed on the coast and in studios in New York... and Chicago!?!
Regardless of what you say, Business is business, you go where the costs are the lowest and the profits are the highest. (does anyone still doubt I used to be a republican?)
Mark my words, with CAs money problems, business taxes are about to go through the roof and things are only going to get worse before they get better.
Word on the business street, go for the snow, make your money, and then retire later when you have time to enjoy it in California. There's no sense in actually being there if you're stuck in an office 12 hours a day, and the club scene is just as good in Boston-and in some cases better, especially in the University district.
Frankly I'm going to try for a beach house near Agate Beach's light house on the cliffs in Newport Oregon...
...or that's the dream
28 - roger nowosielski
I doubt about the club scene. My property and business were South of Market. Even in the eighties, the joints were booming. You've heard of Slims, The Oasis, The Paradise Lounge, Deviate, Julie's Supper Club - all along the Folsom corridor - not to mention Castro and Polk St.
When I make it back to CA - God willing this year, I'll send you the invitation. I'll show you the town like you've never been shown before. Trust me!
When
29 - roger nowosielski
They should do something, though, about making it more business-friendly. And yes, there had been an exodus in a big way. The Silicon Valley, for instance, is half-empty.
Fucking Arnold should have done a better job for all his promises. This is one thing about which you may disagree with me, but the teachers union are a stronghold on all CA revenues. No matter how the state revenue increases, a fixed percentage is allocated to education. There's almost no way for the state to get ahead. And it's a pity - the seventh largest economy in the world - topping France.
30 - Jet Gardner
I saw this coming:
Associated Press:
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) -- Maine officials say gay marriage opponents are challenging a new law allowing same-sex couples to wed.
Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said Thursday that opponents filed a challenge under the state's "people's veto" provision. It allows for a referendum to overturn laws if opponents can collect enough signatures.
The filing came Wednesday, the same day the Legislature passed the bill and Gov. John Baldacci (bahl-DAH'-chee) signed it. Opponents need to get at least 10 percent of people who voted in the last governor's election to force a referendum in November.
The signature-collecting deadline will probably fall in mid-September
31 - Robert M. Barga
here is the thing, gays should not be allowed to get married. sAME, fankly is true of straight couples. I do not understand hwo the government has any right being involved with marrages of any sort, and i think that the benifits they grant are a violation of my 14th amendment rights
32 - Dr Dreadful
Now that really would put Garfield among the feral doves, Robert.
It would be intriguing to see how the 'protect marriage' folks would counter a concerted movement to end government recognition of the arrangement... without undermining their own arguments as to why gays shouldn't be allowed to do it?
Heh heh...
33 - Jet Gardner
ARE YOU BOTH OUT OF YOUR MIND??? Do you realize the fits republicans would have at losing the tax benefits of being married?
Dear God!
34 - Dr Dreadful
But Jet, what fun we would have watching them backpedal!
35 - Jet Gardner
A very well taken point Doc, well taken in deed, though I think they'd call it a reassessment.
36 - Clavos
Taking the government out of the marriage game is an excellent idea, and doing so doesn't have to jeopardize the so-called "tax benefits," which for many couples aren't a benefit at all, which is why so many elderly couples choose to live in sin and even unmarry.
Personally, I think everyone should be forced to marry; why should we married folk be the only people living in misery?
37 - Jet Gardner
It scares me when I agree with you Clavos.
38 - Robert M. Barga
tax benifits should remain for children, but not for the marriage
plus, it would be fun to see these peopel shit a brick
39 - Clavos
Me too, Jet! :>)
40 - Jet Gardner
The problem here in Ohio is that when the Fed lowers our taxes, Ohio uses it as an excuse to raise theirs, so you wind up with a net gain of Zero, or "naught" for you Brits in the audience.
41 - Robert M. Barga
well, seeing that we are required by constitutonal amendment to have a ballanced budget, i am fine with the tax increase
42 - Jet Gardner
Frankly we'd do better with everyone paying 15% with no deductions to the U.S. and 5% to our state with no deductions.
No shady tax lawyers providing the rich with loopholes, which is why bitching about the rich paying more is bullshit, because they've all found ways of LEGALLY paying next to nothing, much less their fair share.
A federal sales tax wouldn't work because too many suppliers/owners would find ways around it.
Or am I just to dumb to understand that concept?
43 - Robert M. Barga
the main think is get lobbiests from being elected
44 - Jet Gardner
You... you mean Obama hasn't run them all out of town yet?
45 - Czech Yo. Self
Any person that stresses people vote popular guilt over their conscience aren't Americans. Case closed. Next case.
46 - Jet Gardner
Uh huh
47 - roger nowosielski
I don't catch the meaning of your "uh huh."
Are you in agreement with our Czech (it was gonna add "porn star" - I love 'em so)?
48 - Jet Gardner
No, actually it was more in the line of how many ways the remark could be interpreted.
49 - roger nowosielski
Exactly. Same thought here. It's just so loaded, you could go an infinite number of ways from there.
Interestingly, the Czech (porn star) fails to realize that because he/she says: "case closed."
50 - Jet Gardner
Where are you getting that he/she/it is a porn star? I've been out of the business for a while
51 - roger nowosielski
Just kidding. The Czechs and the Hungarians have virtually taken over the porn business - and they're all gorgeous.
Sylvia Saint, Yana Kova, Jane Darling, etc, etc, etc. If you doubt me, check up this site; 80 percents of the super-models are from there.
52 - Jet Gardner
80 Percent-Hey don't leave out the guys!
53 - roger nowosielski
I apologize for my heterosexuality. I just love the female body.
But you're right. Insofar as the gay porno scene is concerned, there's nothing that surpasses the good ol' all-American hunk.
54 - Jet Gardner
No no, I meant Czech guys, I know of a few that might tempt you to switch teams!
55 - roger nowosielski
I don't know about that. The Czechs are rather timid as a race, compared to the Poles, e.g. Point in fact, they sort of rolled over for the Germans. In one day, the country was lost and there was no resistance whatever.
For me to switch, especially to that side, I need some evidence of the human spirit. So for the time being at least, I'll stick by the home boys.
56 - Jet Gardner
You've obviously never watched Adam Lambert perform on American Idol have you?
57 - roger nowosielski
No, I haven't. Looked though at some of the comments on the pertinent thread. Should I?
Do you want to convert me?
I've experimented, of course. Anyone who says they haven't is an abject liar. Still, I love women. They complement me.
58 - Dr Dreadful
Roger @ #55:
Czechoslovakia actually had a modern, well-equipped and highly-trained military and was originally well capable of defending herself. That all changed with the Munich agreement, when the Allied powers and Germany decided to carve off bits of the country among themselves - most crucially the Sudetenland - leaving her effectively defenseless. The Czechs' frontline fortifications were in these areas but they no longer controlled them, which meant that the Wehrmacht could basically stroll in whenever they wished.
The Czech resistance was highly effective, and accomplished the highest-profile assassination of the War - that of Himmler's deputy Heidrich.
59 - roger nowosielski
Well, I wasn't aware of that. But you know how it goes when it comes to "sibling rivalry." Part of the problem, though, the Czechs were always kind of impressed with the Germans, readily adopted the German technology, almost tried to become like the Germans.
Anyhow, that's what the popular opinion (among the Poles) was.
60 - Jet Gardner
Well, not a single joke about a Czech bouncing, I'm proud of both of you.
61 - roger nowosielski
Well, there's body-check in hockey.
62 - Clavos
Not to mention reality Czech...
63 - Clavos
...and bed Czech...
64 - Jet Gardner
I guess not having the experience that we do with this website's foybles, Czech Yo. Self either has nothing to say on the subject or just can't find us...
shame really
Are you guys trying to tell me that those are the best x-rated movie titles you could come up with?
65 - Jet Gardner
Do we have to get a collection together and buy a better chain for Technorati's fucking monster or what?
It's starting to come around more often than not!
66 - Jet Gardner
The bitch of it is you have to refresh the page to get back which reprints the previous comment.
67 - roger nowosielski
Right. You can't double-Czech it to see whether the comment had posted or not. And so, you end up posting duplicates if not triplicates.
68 - Jet Gardner
Roger, fortunely I had my number of comments memorized or three hours later I'd never have known you left this comment, because we still haven't gotten back our e-mail notifications of posted comments.
Someday someone will Google Diabetes article and is going to post an important question on what early symptoms can they look for based on my personal experiences and I'll have no idea they did. They'll think it was ignored and look at another website for answers.
You don't build repeat business by ignoring your customers-and that's just what this website is now doing.
I've written three articles in the space of 7 days, but by the home page you'd never know it.
Someone can post a comment on an article 15 MINUTES ago, and you'd never know it because fresh comments only displays the last five.
Someday someone is going to add bold or italics to a comment and forget to close the HTML and everything following will be screwed up because there's no longer a preview option for comments.
A full page FRESH COMMENTS and PREVIEW page and e-mail notifications should've been first priorty on the "to do" list, instead of an afterthought and "we'll get to it when we have time."
Unfucking believable
This isn't TIME magazine; this is Blogcritics. it used to be a tradition for lengthy intelligent discussions on the topic at hand. Now that we've been taken over, it's more "write 'em and forget 'em", you're only as important as what you published 12 hours ago, all else is trash.
Those of us that have gotten used to where and what to click will scoff at this, but imagine a new visitor unable to navagate an article without clicking at least one or two links just to read the next part of it (like a magazine continued on page 2, continued on page 5,) and if they want to post a comment or question on it, they'll never see it, or the response to it without knowing what button to push, much less where the damned thing is located!
------ Imagine new writer's frustration at putting out their very first effort... only to have all evidence of it ever existing THREE DAYS LATER! or comments posted on it vanishing as quickly as 15 minutes later! ------
Impatient?
Unprofessional?
It's going on TWO WEEKS since we started pointing out these problems. AND THE NEXT TIME SOMEONE TELLS ME HOW UNPROFESSIONAL I AM about bitching about this, I'll point out how UNFUCKINGPROFESSIONAL and EMBARRASSING it was to release this new version of BC BEFORE these damned problems and many more were worked out-especially when I'm regularly getting e-mails asking how do I find this, how do I do that?!!!!!
69 - Jet Gardner
Sorry Roger, I forgot your question?
70 - Alyse
Jet, all the reasons you listed for your "business contacts" leaving California were all for BUSINESS reasons. Legalized same-sex marriage might sweeten the pot, but by your own statement, that is not the main reason.
It is no secret that it is expensive to do business here. That's why there is a movement to recall the govenator
71 - Jet Gardner
Alyse, I believe there's been a movement to recall every California governor since the state was founded.
Somehow I don't think that's a factor.
Many, many gay businesses are starting to go under because of how expensive it is to do business. Most are just looking for an excuse, or a "last straw" to get out of town and go somewhere more friendly.
72 - Jet Gardner
ATTENTION MAINE GAY VOTERS... YOUR VOTE IS NEEDED!!! Maine residents will decide Tuesday whether to repeal a law allowing same-sex marriage, an effort that has succeeded in every state where it has been put before voters.
Public opinion surveys in Maine show a dead heat on Question 1, which would cancel the marriage statute that passed the legislature in May and was signed by Gov. John E. Baldacci (D).
In the five other states where gay men and lesbians are allowed to marry their partners, permission was granted by courts or legislatures. Baldacci expressed guarded optimism Sunday about the effort to defeat the Maine proposition.
73 - Jet Gardner
You know it's been a while since I rolled a joint; however...
...In a stinging setback for the national gay-rights movement, Maine voters narrowly decided to repeal the state’s new law allowing same-sex marriage.
With 87 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, 53 percent of voters had approved the repeal, ending an expensive and emotional fight that was closely watched around the country as a referendum on the national gay-marriage movement. Polls had suggested a much closer race.
Maine voters also decided to expand the state’s 10-year-old medical marijuana law, approving a ballot question to allow state-regulated dispensaries to grow the drug and sell it to patients. The vote comes weeks after the Obama administration announced it would not prosecute patients and distributors who are in "clear and unambiguous" compliance with state laws. Maine will be the third state, after New Mexico and Rhode Island, to allow tightly regulated, nonprofit marijuana dispensaries.
74 - Jet Gardner
UPDATE:
Gay rights advocates are declaring victory after New Hampshire's failed attempt at repealing its gay marriage law, saying it resounds in a region where opponents have concentrated efforts to reverse momentum.
The state House voted Wednesday to kill the measure, ending a push by its new Republican majority to rescind New Hampshire's 2-year-old law. Nevertheless, both sides are pledging to continue fighting into the fall elections.
"Today is a banner day for the freedom to marry," said Craig Stowell, co-chairman of Standing Up for New Hampshire Families. Stowell said the House, where Republicans hold a 189-seat advantage, was supposed to give conservatives their best shot at repeal.
"They blew it," he said. "This was supposed to be the most favorable legislative climate for repeal and they couldn't even get a majority."
The National Organization for Marriage has pledged to spend $250,000 to help lawmakers running for re-election who support repealing the law. On the other side, the New Hampshire Republicans of Freedom and Equality PAC is raising money to back Republicans who vote to retain it.
The Republican-backed bill called for repealing gay marriage in March 2013 and replacing it with a civil unions law that had been in place in 2008 and 2009. Same-sex marriages occurring before the repeal took effect would have remained valid, but future gay unions would have been civil unions.
The bill also would have allowed voters to weigh in on the issue through a nonbinding November ballot question.
If the House passed the repeal measure following its two hours of debate, it would have gone to the Senate; both houses are controlled by Republicans. Democratic Gov. John Lynch had promised to veto the bill in any case. The House vote was 211-116.
75 - Jet Gardner
The re-election of Barack Obama, as well as the wins in states wherever gay marriage was on ballot -- in Maine, Minnesota, Maryland and Washington -- is a massive watershed for LGBT rights. No longer will politicians -- or anyone -- be able to credibly claim to be supportive of gays, and to love and honor their supposed gay friends and family, while still being opposed to basic and fundamental rights like marriage.
The very ads pushed by the enemies of gay rights, like the mastermind behind the antigay ballot measures, Frank Schubert, which claim you can support gay equality but be against gay marriage, no longer hold water. From now on, you're no friend to gays if you don't support full equality, and you're a bigot if you try to defend that position, as Mitt Romney did.
Many people previously hid behind the idea that since the president, prior to May of this year, didn't support marriage equality, but could still be considered "pro-gay," they could be considered pro-gay too. But President Obama not only evolved; he set a new standard: being pro-gay means supporting full equality.
This is a president who ended "don't ask, don't tell," signed a gay-inclusive hate crimes law, urged voters in the states to vote for marriage equality and wrote a letter to a 10-year-old last week offering her support against bullies who might stigmatize her for having two dads. He's a president whose administration helped transgender Americans get full protections in employment under existing laws banning discrimination based on gender and made sure his health care law fosters full access and equality for gay and transgender people.
And he was re-elected.
That re-election happened, make no mistake, because the president energized his based, including LGBT activists who pushed him hard and made it clear that they wouldn't be energized if he didn't stop dancing with the right and stood up for full equality. He learned how that could work for him, and his re-election proves that it can done. No longer will there be an excuse for politicians who claim to be pro-gay but who drag their feet for fear of repercussions.
The wins on marriage in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and probably Washington (votes are still being counted but activists are almost certain they won) are groundbreaking, and it's only the beginning. The tide has turned after losses on marriage at the ballot in over 30 states. It's a direct result of the shift in public opinion and the president both capitalized on that and helped change public opinion further. The enemies of gay equality are now on the run.
Those enemies, however, still have a hold on the Republican Party, and the GOP will have to reckon with that. Certainly it will be front and center in the GOP's own coming civil war over the fallout of this election. The Human Rights Campaign rightly said in a press release that last night's victories, which included the election of Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay or lesbian person to win a U.S. Senate seat, and other pro-equality big wins, were a landslide for LGBT rights. Opponents of LGBT rights were stomped, and the pressure will be on the GOP to oust them for good. As the Rick Santorum wing claims the 2012 losses mean the party needs to double down on cultural issues like gay marriage, there will hopefully be those who make the correct point that, in fact, the party needs to drop gay-bashing and move into 21st century if it wants to survive.
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