Delaware was on the conscious mind of many this past year for something they may well want to forget: the election fight for VP Joe Biden's open Senate seat, starring one of my personal favorites, Christine O'Donnell. With Tea Party financing and an endorsement from Sarah Palin, she catapulted to unforgetable national fame. Of course, that was 2010. It's over now, and Delaware may be in the national consciousness for something different and decidely more enduring: equality.

This week, the Williams Institute released its study of Civil Unions in Delaware. Of interest, the study found that allowing same-sex couples to enter civil unions in Delaware would increase business activity but would reduce net state revenue by a small amount, less than $400,000 a year. According to the Williams Institute, civil unions would equalize the tax paid by same-sex couples and increase public employee benefits spending. The state budget would gain from reduced public assistance spending, increases in spending and tourism tax revenue, and civil union license fees.

By Delena Wilkerson, Publisher

Delena is the publisher and editor of 10,000 Couples magazine. Over the past 25 years Delena has published many articles, edited a national newsletter, and been both author and editor of several how-to books on financial management for nonprofits.  Some of these experiences might even help with this latest venture.  For certain, her experiences at the helm of a local nonprofit organization taught her how to get the job done with minimal resources.  She is a graduate of Livingstone College in North Carolina and the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration.  Delena currently lives in Oak Park, IL with her spouse and son, cat and koi.