Iowa’s Rep. King wants to damage state’s economy

Timothy Kincaid

May 20th, 2010

Congressman Steve King of Iowa is probably best known for his anti-gay activism. Which gives him a rather skewed perspective on the world.

Take, for example, the press release he’s just issued:

“Just over one year ago, when the Iowa Supreme Court decided to ignore Iowa law and grant same sex couples the ability to get married in our state, I predicted that the decision, absent action by the state legislature to enact a marriage license residency requirement, would turn Iowa into the gay marriage Mecca.” King said. “Now, the Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting that of the more than 2,000 same-sex couples who were married in Iowa between April 27, 2009, and March 31, 2010, sixty percent were from out of state,” said King.

So there were over 1,200 people who came with family and friends into the state to spend money in this very depressed economy. They paid Iowa fees for marriage certificates, stayed in Iowa hotels, ate in Iowa restaurants, shopped in Iowa stores, tipped Iowa ministers, and came home to tell all their friends about what a great time they had in Iowa.

That should be cause for celebration. But not to King; no, he wants to stop all that Iowa commerce:

“This new report from the Department of Public Health reemphasizes the short-sightedness of the court’s decision to enact a same-sex marriage law from the bench, and it provides even more evidence of the need for a residency requirement and a constitutional amendment to repeal it.”

What an idiot.

The best thing a state can become is the Mecca for, well, just about anything that increases revenues without increasing crime, blight, or other social ills.

Pomo

May 20th, 2010

But Tim, don’t you see… gays are a social ill!

Candace

May 20th, 2010

What an idiot.

eyup.

Rick Brentlinger

May 20th, 2010

What a dilemma for Rep. King and Iowa.

Counting friends and family, thousands of tourists from out of state come to Iowa, spend money and leave.

They’re not burdening Iowa’s social welfare system, they’re not wearing out Iowa’s roads or clogging traffic all year. All they’re doing is spending lots of money and then going home.

And I have no doubt they’re telling everyone how wonderfully friendly are Iowa’s home town folks which sends more tourists to Iowa.

Poor Rep. King – there aren’t enough problems in Washington so he has to make up problems to grouse about in Iowa. Weird.

Burr

May 20th, 2010

Well if it makes him feel any better, they’ll have a harder time getting gay divorced?

Ben in Oakland

May 20th, 2010

Bt gays getting married is a social ill. Why, by the minute, straight marriages are crumbling at a 50% rate, teenage girls are having babies, families are losing their homes, babies are being aborted, boys and girls are living together without being married and fornicatin’ and all, fathers are abandoning thier children, parents are having affairs…and…

…ohhhh….

wait.

That was happening without any assistance from us.

Grant

May 20th, 2010

Who keeps voting for creeps like this? I mean, SRSLY??

paul j stein

May 20th, 2010

Maybe he represents all the COWS in IOWA. I’m sure the regular folks are loving the tax revenue boost.

Brian

May 20th, 2010

What is the report that he is referencing? There doesn’t seem to be any attribution on his website.

Jutta Zalud

May 21st, 2010

@Brian: The numbers he refers to were mentioned in Des Moines Register blog a few days ago: http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/05/18/2020-gay-marriages-recorded-here-since-last-april/ and they also give a Department of Public Health report as source.

Regan DuCasse

May 21st, 2010

I remember a spectacularly beautiful morning in Iowa. Green cornfields for miles and miles….
What ELSE is there to attract so many people to spend money in Iowa?

Did any body study how much money would have been LOST had marriage equality not happened?

California is still smarting from NOT having enough injected into it’s economy.

Idiot is right.

Maurice Lacunza

May 21st, 2010

“What an Idiot.” You were being way to polite.

Joan

May 21st, 2010

I am a born again Christian conservative…not Republican…they are hypocrites…Now where did I hear this bashing lesbians and gays before? Oh it was from the Republicans in congress who enjoy other gays not being allowed to be openly gay when these same congressmen are closeted…till they are found out…So King just come out of the closet with all your other closeted gay friends and don’t forget the others… class of ’94 hypocrites like Sanford et al, who pretend to have family values just to get elected…there outta be a polygraph test for all you jerks who are sissies in everybody else’s business

Bruce

May 21st, 2010

“Congressman Steve is an idiot” is an understatement. I am so sick of politicians like him.

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