econ 101

The question I find myself asking in regards to politics, laws, policies, and regulations these days, especially in terms of economics, isn't who will benefit but who will benefit the most. What does it matter if a change in laws will help small businesses when it will help the large corporations even more? Likewise, the question isn't who will lose out but who will lose the most.

This is also the question I have in regards to, say, gay marriage. Who will benefit the most from institutionalizing gay marriage? Probably the divorce attorneys and conservative politicians who can split the gay vote. As I've heard, it was a debate in the gay community, whether or not legalized marriage was even a good goal to strive for, even if there seems to be little debate now.

The kicker is that what's good for the party isn't good for the politician. Legalizing gay marriage probably won't lose the party many voters (where would they turn? to the liberals?), but it could definitely lose a politician some votes.