The costs of being a gay couple

Huh. No wonder most of the states have such a bug up their ass. They just need the extra cash!

Ugh, pigs.

I live in California. I called a lawyer last week to do a will and a living trust for my partner and me. The cost: $3500 per person. That's $7000 just to ensure that we're protected in case one of us dies. We're starting to save our pennies now so we can make it happen.

In Canada, the issue of voting on the rights of the gays and lesbians to marry was addressed by then prime -minister Rt-Honourable Jean Chrétien and it was that a minority interest should not be the object of a referendum.

For exemple, how would the governor of Maine feel about a referendum about... if his wealth should be confiscated by his state and distributed to his constituents?

I wonder if they took into account that gay couples have more expendable incomes than straight couples do?

More expendable income than straight couples??... how do you figure Simon?

They still pay tax, housing costs, food, utilities and so on. So i'd like to know how you figure they have more expendable income.

Mark, straight couples usually have children,whereas gay couples don't. I suggest you check out his link:
checkhttp://blog.v7n.com/2006/06/24/marketing-to-the-gay-community/

More expendable income........no children......you see, it's difficult for people who prefer the same sex to procreate. Basic math.

That's the whole point of the article. They can't have kids biologically together. So they either have to pay adoption fees or fertility clinic costs to have them. Heterosexual couples pay nothing for the actual making of the child.

ok.. first of all.. a lot of straight couples like me and my wife don't/won't/can't have kids (hence the declining birth rate in N. America over the last 10 or so years.. although it's started to rise again) and gay couples can adopt.. so that doesn't skew the numbers as much as you might think.

And second... the article it clearly states "The study assumed the couples were together until one partner died, were college-educated and raised children."

So for this study the claim that they have more disposable income because they can't naturally have kids goes out the window.

I love how the US calls itself a country where everyone is treated fairly and equally yet they obviously don't!

You're right Mark. The article says that both couples are assumed to have children. However, it costs more for a gay couple because they can't claim their status when filing taxes so they have to file taxes as singles. Same goes to the insurance premiums they have to pay... etc, etc.

well, i don't know why the want to get married anyway. the world is coming to an end how the heck are we going to keep the world growing if all are gay sooner of later it will be the end of mankind and a lot sooner that we think. Everything created was male and female from human to fruit and vegetable. if you want to be gay that is fine by me but stop spending our hard earned tax dollar on stupidiy. Last time i check heterosexual are still a majority.

Lil you are so closed minded. Who cares if you are gay or straight. Society is made up of different people and social classes. One thing though is that we should all be treated the same with respect, dignity and justice. People are born the way they are and God made each and everyone of us in his image and he is LOVE.

well chris if you beleive in god and that he created us all to love one another thats fine. but he doent mention anything about the fact that lil is right when its socialbly acceptable to be gay more gays and lesbians are fine with who they are and wont look at procreation

I BELEIVE THAT PROCREATION IS WHY WE ARE ON EARTH EVERYTHIN IN THE WORLD IS FEMALE AND MALE AND IF THERES NO PROCREATION WHAT ARE WE SPENDING ARE TIME WORRYING ABOUT HOW 1/10 OF THE WORLD WANTS THEIR RIGHTS

YOU WANNA BE DIFFERENT THEN DIFFERENT LIFESTYLE IS WHAT YOUR GONNA HAVE TO EXPECT
(And im close minded)

Tom and Lil, should realize that as soon, as you deny rights to minorities, even only 10% of the population, it is a very slippery slope...think Hitler, . It starts with one group and can easily move to the next... maybe even your own. And because you did not stand up for your neighbours rights, no one will be around to stand up for yours.

Also there are many instances of "gayness" in all animals, and not every animal procreates. Some are not meant to (I'm thinking small minded creeps who spend there time spreading their small mindeness on internet posts.)

"Last time i check heterosexual are still a majority."....... really Lil???.... i mean REALLY????.. you're going to try and claim that just because a majority of people are heterosexual that somehow homosexual people don't deserve equal treatment??

Well... white people are the majority.. does that mean that african american, hispanic, asian and so on don't deserve equal treatment??... Hell.. women are the majority... should i not receive equal treatment just because i'm a man and in the minority??

If you want your argument to be taken with any validity at all.. (even though you're argument was pretty weak.. end of the world cuz everyone is going to turn gay and all).. you must really avoid using majority vs. minority statements unless you're referring to some sort of a vote.

Just thought I would mention that one huge reason that people aren't procreating as much is because it costs too much to have children. It used to be a bit easier when large families lived on farms: they could grow they're own food for part of it, which is so cheap. Now we have the majority of populations in cities, where everything has to be purchased. A pack of carrot seeds costs a couple bucks, a bunch of time and attention and yeilds maybe 20 pounds of carrots. But you have to buy it by the finished pound. Maybe not the greatest example, but still, there aren't very many ways to save that kind of money in a city. Money that could be spent on kids.
Also, there will NEVER be enough gay people the world over to slow population growth. The population in North America is used to a high standard of living, and are always trying to create a higher standard for our children. This is a huge expense. China and India don't seem to have this problem, they're more than making up for it. Maybe people should be more concerned with the happiness they leave their children instead of the things they leave them?
I come from a large family by today's standards. 5 boys, no girls. It was a less than happy situation. If I take that as my example, why would I want children, let alone more than one or two? Sure, we had a relatively high standard, but we were never happy growing up.
LOL maybe gay couples have more disposable income because while the straight kids were getting knocked up and becoming single parents, the gay couples were able to improve themselves by getting an education which lead to a better paying job? Just a thought. Some women get this, saying they'll have kids after they have an education. That doesn't leave a lot of time to find a man get married and make babies. She'll only be able to pop out a couple before it becomes a hazard for her older body.
So whats your solution? My only one is less judgement, and more focus on true happiness rather than material goodies, and passing on the love to a new generation. Nobody cares what tax bracket you or your parents were from. They care about the character you have, which is created by your parents at first. How are your kids? Happy? Loving to you and their siblings? Loving to their friends? Thats how I measure success in all parents, I don't care how rich they are.
[wow. essay done. I'll get off my soap box now]

Mark you got the white people are the majority wrong, they make up 1/8th of the world population. White people do get treated unfairly now in every western country. It is not who is best for the job, or who scored higher on a test anymore. It is only the west that has 'equality'. Multiculturalism is a one way street with the rest of the world flocking to the west and changing it dramatically while the nations of these immigrants retain their identities, culture heritage and customs (some customs are very anti-gay). We are on a very slippery slope, it started with minorities being put before the majority. When the minorities become the majority do you think gays and lesbians will be better off? Think very hard on that one.

Mark, men are treated unfairly. Just try and open an all male gym, golf course, or even the boy scouts, and see what happens.

Glad to see a few of us are still on the ball. Evidently DEMOCRACY seems okay for everyone until it starts to resemble MOB RULE. Obviously the majority doesn't always know what is best for them, so who really get's to decide? The minority? Isn't this totalitarianism? I tend to agree with the person who pretty much said if you want to live a different lifestyle then prepare to accept different consequences for that lifestyle.

White people are the minorty of this planet and are increasingly becoming more so. Whitey better start minding his or her "p's" and "q's" if he or she doesn't want to go extinct. Worse yet, is the plight of the male WASP. He is vast becoming an endangered spieces on the planet and alot of them are going gay these days.

There's one solution to this mess nobody wants:

TELL THE GOVERNMENT TO GET OUT OF THE MARRIAGE BUSINESS ONCE AND FOR ALL. MAKE TAXES EQUITABLE FROM THE SMALLEST TO THE BIGGEST per INDIVIDUAL - INCLUDING ALL THE NORTH AMERICAN FAT CAT CORPORATIONS, CHURCHES, and all other LEGAL ENTITIES, SITUATED ALL OVER THE PLANET. MAKE TAX EXEMPT FOREIGN INVESTMENT ILLEGAL AND GIVE THE POOR A BREAK.

DON'T WORRY... THE GOVERNMENT WON'T LISTEN TO YOU ANYWAY. TOO MANY RICH PIGS ARE TOO INTERESTED IN TAX FREE FOREIGN INVESTMENT TO CARE. (And a good deal of them are also gay.)

yeah, the truth is rarely popular

Gays don't have more disposable income, and the closed mindedness on this forum astounds me. Gays can very rarely have biological children, and even then, they are only the child of one parent. In fact, they spend more money going through IVF or the adoption system. Allowing gays to marry will not end the world by "turning everyone gay". That would be impossible. And those of you that use a religious argument can be knocked down very easily; tell me, where in the ORIGINAL Hebrew bible does it say "don't be gay"? Look at all the instances of homosexuality before the advent of Christianity, and among other animal species. It doesn't make your argument very convincing.

Furthermore, lets say you hate the colour purple, or something ridiculous like that. Would you go on a personal crusade to take away the colour from everyone, and remove rights from people who like it? Of course not! The majority of anti-gay marriage proponents are STRAIGHT. If you're not gay, and will never marry someone of the same sex, then what is your problem? Allowing two people to be happy will not affect your life as you currently know it.

Also, the vast majority of politicians are not gay, in fact none of them are to my knowledge. You know what they are? Straight, white men. Please people, open your minds. Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and transgenders are no different from you, and they deserve their rights just as much as you do.