Fiends With Benefits

American Spectator ^ | 6.19.09 | George Neumayr

[Zender500]

Thursday's Washington Post contained comprehensive coverage, three stories no less, of Barack Obama's presidential memorandum that decrees in these dark days of recession new "benefits to partners of federal workers." But don't worry, your scarce hard-earned tax dollars won't go to all domestic lovers. Just homosexual ones.

The memorandum "does not cover domestic heterosexual partners," reports the Post. And who largely drafted the memorandum? John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management, who is "the highest-ranking openly gay person in the administration."

Heterosexual sinners need to hire better lobbyists, or hope that Obama soon finds in his impressively massive heart a new and richer understanding of their attempts at semi-committed love.

Again I ask: Are we witnessing the quiet spread of heterophobia? Why should a Carrie Prejean not enjoy the ample protections of Obama's hate-crime laws? Why should the girlfriends of fornicating federal workers not receive, as homosexuals now do, "long-term-care insurance benefits" for their short-term relationships?

As I don't need to tell you, this president is deeply committed to "competitiveness" and released his memorandum with the efficiency of the federal government at the very top of his mind: "Extending available benefits will help the Federal Government compete with the private sector to recruit and retain the best and the brightest employees." But doesn't he see that by denying benefits to the heterosexually shacked-up he is risking the loss of their abundant talents too?

This nation cannot afford to lose a single one of the federal government's 2 million civil servants. Remember how impossible life became after Bill Clinton shut the federal government down due to Newt Gingrich's recalcitrance and sent, I'm sorry to use this cruel term but it was the state-of-the-art phrase at the time, "unessential workers" home? No one wants to go through that again.

[Glenn]

I’ve just got to get me a government job.

[Gaffer]

This nation cannot afford to lose a single one of the federal government's 2 million civil servants.

Au Contraire, George....it is exactly that. America needs to do without 90% of these 'civil' servants....

[Tarpon]

Oh I thought the article was about ‘friends with benefits’ -— LOL.

[pnh102]

The argument against granting such benefits to straight couples is that they have the option to legally marry. I remember reading that when gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts, that some companies which offered these benefits to gay couples stopped because now they too had the option of marriage.

Of course, for federal workers in states in which gay marriage is legal, this raises a legitimate discrimination issue, as unmarried gay couples can now receive a benefit that unmarried straight couples cannot.

[Venturer]

It’sa benefit that shouldnt exist and a bald faced payoff to to the homosexual community.

[sten]

i am so glad i work 60+ hours a week for this.

where can i apply for political asylum again?

being a member of a vilified minority, my oppressive government is hell bent on diminishing me and others like me. they have stirred hatred towards my kind openly on tv, brought bus loads of people to harass us at our homes... and we have even been accosted in the market. if that wasn’t enough, the president, via decree, confiscated our property without so much as a hearing... and harassed our employers to insure our salaries were radically reduced to less the 10% of what it was.

my only recourse seems to either deny who i am, or seek asylum in another country to avoid the repression and persecution we are experiencing here.

if any country would have us, we can almost guarantee to benefit our host. we will strive to do what we did here, which is what defines our minority.

you see... i am one of those people that worked hard enough, long enough, and sacrificed so much, as to earn more then 95% of the population. as such, the president and his people are using resentment as a tool against me and people like me.

[trtdenver]

I say you already have a government job. You work until what...May/June to pay your taxes? Heck it might be July by now depending on your local and state tax situation.

[ballplayer]

Great now all I have to do is go to Washington move in with a Guy ,say I am Queer then I get benefits! Now that is Real Health care reform

[RU88]

Great headline. Can’t imagine that this won’t be taken to court by both sides. Brilliant! I firmly believe that we would have more rational decision making coming out of Washington if we had turned the reigns of power over to the inhabitants of a psych ward.

[Vaduz]

“long-term-care insurance benefits” for their short-term relationships? Insane yet it’s our government in action.

[Always Right]

Can a person who is married also be a homosexual partner to someone else and get benefits? And does his wife and family then qualify too?

[Always Right]

Thursday's Washington Post contained comprehensive coverage, three stories no less, of Barack Obama's presidential memorandum that decrees in these dark days of recession new "benefits to partners of federal workers.

How many partners can one extend benefits to?

[muawiyah]

Look, the "long term care" benefit extended by the government is not subsidized ~ the insured group pays all the costs ~ about all the US government does is collect the premiums for the of company with the current contract to offer such insurance to federal government employees (their relatives, etc.).

To a degree this is little more than a new sales campaign to sign up more users.

Worth noting OPM just recently signed a new 7 year contract with John Hancock Life and Health Insurance Company for this particular insurance.

The smarter blades among the gay understand this is NOTHING.

[highlander_UW]

More special rights for gays that the rest of Americans don't enjoy.