Image from the Daily Kos!

This year could be a big one for supporters of marriage equality across the country. State legislatures in Washington, New Jersey, and Maryland are all engaging the issue this year.

In order for marriage equality to pass, supporters need both Democrats and Republicans to vote for it.

But Republicans who decide to support the measure have to break ranks with their party to do so – and for many that could mean angering conservative constituents and tempting primary challenges.

But the numbers are telling a different story for those Republicans who support marriage equality.

While some supporters are touting the economic benefits of marriage equality for states,  the newest round of campaign finance reports tells of a different kind of economic benefit that comes along with supporting same-sex marriage

The New York Times published an article this week reporting that the four Republican senators who split with their party to support gay marriage in New York have seen HUGE jumps in their fundraising.

One senator received 27 times as many donations in this most recent fundraising period compared to the same one in 2009, before his vote.  Much of the donations came from people who often identified as both gay and far left.  Many had never supported a Republican before, but money started flowing into the four senators for their support.

These four senators aren’t the only ones making some moo-la from marriage.  Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose fervent support was credited with the measure’s success, raised over 6 million dollars in the six months after his effort.  And three Wall Street Executives donated $350,000 to the NY Senate Republican Campaign Committee – who came out AGAINST the bill – as a thank you for allowing the vote to take place.

A strategist for the Human Rights Campaign, one of the national organizations working on LGBT equality issues, explained that

It was essential to send a clear signal around the country that we will support those who support equality, irrespective of party.  We were able to win marriage in New York with a bipartisan coalition of fair-minded elected officials. We need to replicate that if we are to keep winning.

So what do you think – are these political contributions better than a thank you note?  Will donors follow suit if Republicans in WA, MD, and NJ also break ranks?  And should Republicans making up their minds about marriage equality take these possible benefits into consideration?

Photo by Flickr user Mr. T in DC

Remember how South Sudan had that peaceful split from North Sudan? Yeah… that might not be so peaceful anymore.

Politicians had fun poking fun at each other on Saturday night at the Gridiron Club Dinner.

Think you might be owed money? Check out this site!

Is college worth it? This piece makes you think about “the higher education bubble.”

Another report that indicates that money might actually contribute to happiness.

You'll need more than this for happiness, maybe.

We at USDemocrazy do not have money problems. We have no money…no money, no problems.

Still, we have enormous respect for those who can manage huge sums of money on an awesome scale. So for this week’s Awesome Sites we are sharing links to World-wide wonders that manage mega-money.

The World Bank is an international organization based in the United States that grants loans to countries in order to reduce poverty. But these loans (often in the millions of dollars) come with strings attached.

The World Bank often requires these countries make to significant changes before they agree to lend them money. These requirements might include restructuring governments and changing economic policies.

Another important global financial institution is the International Monetary Fund.  The IMF is charged with overseeing exchange rates among countries as well as monitoring the debt of various countries. Like the World Bank, The IMF also offers conditional loans to poor countries.

These two organizations, though different, are related.

They both were created near the end of the Second World War to stabilize the war-torn global economy.

To help us keep up with today’s news on global finance, we turn to the web. Here are some of our favorite sites to keep us informed (a challenging task). Check them out:

Bloomberg News is a US-based news group founded by the current mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg.

The Financial Times is a British-based publication dealing with monetary matters.

CNN Money is the financial news arm of the famous Atlanta-based Cable News Network.

The Economist is a global magazine dedicated to news, politics, finance and culture.

Money, thanks wikicommons!

Some of us here at USDemocrazy don’t trust banks and instead choose to keep  money under our mattresses (and believe us, these mattresses need all the padding they can get).

Still, despite an uncertain economy gripping the country most folks still rely on banks and other institutions to manage their funds.

So, as a follow-up to last week’s post about how money is spent by the U.S. government, we decided to explore how America’s money is managed.

Unlike the “mattress option”, a small amount of money can be made when deposited in banks. Deposits in US Banks (up to a certain amount) are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

We all know that mountains of money is stored in banks… but where is this money made?

Our US Dollars are created at the United States Mint, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, having branches in several major cities.

Without value and regulation, a dollar is just a piece of paper. So, for that reason, the value of the greenback is regulated and managed by the Federal Reserve System.

Peter Orszag, who heads the Office of Management and Budget

We are told nothing in life is free, (except the useless advice given to us by our editors). With this in mind, we at USDemocrazy regularly set out to find websites that have real value.

With all the talk of billions of dollars being spent by the government… we wanted to find out how something of real value (our money) is being spent.

We located some important folks in Washington who help watch and manage the money madness. Here is what we found:

U.S. National Debt Clock is a site which calculates present government expenditures continually.

The Office of Management and Budget is a federal agency under the President tasked with evaluating the costs of proposed legislation.

The Congressional Budget Office is a resource utilized by Congress for approximating the costs of existing programs, as well as those incurred under bills before the Senate or House of Representatives.

Within either house of Congress there are legislative committees tasked with not only determining costs, but finding ways to finance expenditures. These are the United States House Committee of Appropriations and the United States Senate Committee on the Budget.

Who's the leader?

Ever lost a million bucks? Then had to dumpster dive for it?

Who doesn’t like jewelry? The State Department. (At least when it could be an ethics violation.)

Does the US have more czars than Russia? “Pay czar” appointed to keep the shareholders in control!

“Self-esteem” issues? That’s a new one for the GOP.