60 Million Spent on Proposition 8

Proposition 8, for those of you not acquainted, is the California ballot initiative that will appear on the voting ballot of millions of Californians this November 4th in order to give the voters of the state a say in matters of civil rights. In this case, I’m speaking of the fundamental civil right for same-sex couples to be granted the benefits of a marriage contract, just as hetero-couples have done for centuries. A “yes” vote is intended to stifle the California Supreme Court’s ruling and ban same-sex marriage, while a “no” vote is intended to keep things as they have been since the court’s decision this past May.

The 4-3 ruling declared that the state Constitution protects a fundamental “right to marry” that extends equally to same-sex couples. It tossed a highly emotional issue into the election year while opening the way for tens of thousands of gay people to wed in California, starting as early as mid-June.¹

However, before the ink was even dry, opponents of the ruling were up in arms to say the least, and determined to push through the ballot measure now known as Proposition 8. If the supporters of Prop 8 have things their way on Election day, the California Constitution will eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry, providing that only marriage between a ‘man’ and ‘woman’ be valid in the state of California.

Now, I could go on to list the theological and political arguments of both sides of this issue. I could rail on and on about the Christian zealots of the Family Research Council, Dr. Dobson and Co., and the Catholic Pope. I could trash their viewpoints and shoot holes through their theories, but that will not alter these views or theories in any way. Open dialogue and education I’ve always believed could work wonders, but I’m less and less convinced of this, especially when dealing with people hiding behind a religion. Not that those in support of same-sex marriage are interested in listening to other side either, they are not. Neither side is coming to the table any time soon in hopes of hammering this all out to reach a compromise of some sort. And why should they? I’m not saying that they should. But something is wrong, in my opinion, when a concerted effort by proponents of both the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ vote can raise 60 million dollars to be spent mainly on advertisements in hopes of persuading the California voters.

At least 64,000 people from all 50 states and more than 20 other countries have given money to support or oppose a ban on same-sex marriage in California, reflecting broad interest in a race that some consider second in national importance only to the presidential election.

That would be a record nationally for a ballot initiative based on a social rather than economic issue, campaign finance experts say. It also eclipses the combined total of $33 million spent in the 24 states where similar measures have been put to voters since 2004.

Ten days before the vote on Proposition 8, campaign finance records showed that total contributions for and against the measure had surpassed $60 million, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.²

I do not mean to dumb down the importance of civil rights, because marriage is as fundamental and pertinent and sacred to the the millions of families headed by gay parents as it is to those headed by straight parents. But, I find it sickening that amidst all the clamoring, people would collectively come up with 60 million dollars that will not feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, research cures for you name the disease, teach people how to read and write, or any number of things that could make a positive difference. Private contributions are amazing. People who donate and lend a helping hand make miracles happen for families all over this country on a daily basis, a million fold over what the government will ever do. And though the 60 million that has gone to funding both sides of Proposition 8 is a drop in the bucket when compared to the ridiculous amounts of money raised and spent in our thank-god -it’s-almost-over Presidential election, it still makes me wince.

SOURCE(S): ¹L.A. Times, “California Supreme Court overturns gay marriage ban”, By Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times Staff,May 16, 2008 • ² Associated Press: “Same-sex marriage ban nets big bucks;
Donations for and against Proposition 8 surpass $60 million” By: Lisa Leff, Article Last Updated: 10/27/2008 06:26:00 AM MDT