But over the long term they can cause a LOT of Pain. And as anyone knows even a small chronic pain will eventually cause one to do ANYTHING to make it stop… Birmingham Bus Boycott comes to mind.

So you ask what brought this on… simple… I’m angered and a bit depressed that my home state of Florida was so bigoted enough to pass Amendment 2 (by 63%) that kills any chance of Gay Marriage unless a Federal Constitutional Amendment overrides it.

I should have expected the vote results though… Florida’s population is still predominately older and more under the control of Religious Ideologues. H.L. Mencken (a VERY serious Anti-Semite), a very prolific writer and somewhat anti-religious as well, once referred to the city of Jacksonville in North Florida as “The Buckle Of The Bible Belt”.

The only thing people understand is money… when some hard statistics came out two years ago about the cash inflow from Gay Days in Orlando the next year when the religious types started to complain the business people promptly told them to “Sit Down And Shut Up… You Have NO Idea How Much Money These People Are Bringing In”. The complaints have been somewhat muted since then.

It in no way is enough though for the business people to accept our money then countenance the passing of this amendment… nor can I support in any way the politicians who didn’t stand up for us.

So, in my own way, here is what I intend to do. I intend to Boycott Florida… how??

First no more telling people it’s a great place to vacation and they should consider elsewhere… like Toronto or Montreal… tourism is the lifeblood of Florida.

Second, even if it costs me a little more in shipping I intend to buy as many of the hard goods I need from companies that are based not just outside of Florida but in the states that have allowed Same-Sex Marriage… they don’t assess or collect the Florida State Sales Tax NOR do those companies pay any of the other fees and taxes levied on businesses and corporations by the state.

By law in Florida (and most other states as well) you must still pay the Sales Tax… though it is then referred to as a “Use Tax” on all goods bought from companies on the Internet, companies located in other States, and all goods ordered from overseas at the current rate of 6%.

While I still have to pay the Sales Tax if a company has no physical presence here the state, county, and cities are denied all the other taxes and fees they collect… like Local Option Sales Taxes.

State imposed Annual Corporation Fees, Documentary Stamp Taxes on Financing Documents, Tangible Personal Property Tax on Equipment, Tag and Title Fees on Vehicles, Property Taxes on Buildings not build, City and County Franchise fees on Utilities, Local Option Sales Taxes, Road Use Taxes on Fuels, Room (Tourist) Tax… and a whole lot more little ones that add up to BIG money.

Third, almost all Politicians care about on the local and state levels are bringing more business in so that they can generate more taxes and fees and have more money to spend… if they weren’t you wouldn’t have States vying with one another all the time trying to lure new industries.

Any new industry that considers relocating here needs to get numerous letters letting them know that the climate here is un-friendly toward a percentage of their workforces… and generally this percentage is the most creative and valuable to the success of knowledge based companies so attracting and retaining these employees will be difficult… making Florida not so desirable.

The states (and companies) that support us deserve to have as much money routed to them as we possible can… and we need to LET THEM KNOW that we are doing so by writing to them.

While Boycotts seldom work in the short term the long term effect would be felt, but they must KNOW where the pain is coming from so we all must stand up and say so… and any increases in the economies of the states who do embrace us will be seen and needs to be pointed out.

This is what I plan to do… if you think one person can’t have an effect,   here’s a short tale I keep on a card on my refrigerator. It’s been there 20 years now:

A TALE FOR ALL SEASONS

“Tell me the weight of a snowflake,” a coal-mouse asked a wild dove.

“Nothing more than nothing,” was the answer.

“In that case, I must tell you a marvelous story,” the coal-mouse said.

“I sat on the branch of a fir, close to its trunk, when it began to snow – not heavily, not in a raging blizzard – no, just like in a dream, without a wound and without any violence. Since I did not have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch.”

“Their number was exactly 3,741,952. When the 3,741,953rd dropped onto the branch, nothing more than nothing, as you say – the branch broke off.”

Having said that, the coal-mouse flew away.

The dove, since Noah’s time, an authority on the matter, thought about the story for awhile, and finally said to herself, “Perhaps there is only one person’s voice lacking for peace to come to the world.”

Photo credit: stock.xchng.