14th Amendment
Personal injury lawyer John Stemberger is representing the Florida Family Policy Council. The group is affiliated with James Dobson's Focus For the Family - a man whom has dedicated his to protecting America from SpongeBob SquarePants.
The Florida Family Policy Council nearly has enough petitions to get a ballot amendment to make gay marriage illegal under the Florida Constitution. The law already states that gays and lesbians can not marry or have civil unions. That isn't enough for the FFPC. The group is upset about the Iowa Supreme Court decision to allow civil unions.
"Iowa is Exhibit A for why the marriage amendment needs to be codified in the constitution," said Stemberger, president of the conservative Florida Family Policy Council. "Massachusetts (the only state that allows same-sex marriages) is exhibit B."
An obstacle the group faces is all ballot amendments must pass by 60 percent. The law is undemocratic, but helps Fairness For All Families defeat the ballot. 60 percent is difficult to reach. Conservative groups have been disorganized. They failed to get enough signatures in 2006.
Hat tip to Ron Mills.
I voted against the 60 percent requirement last year, but I'm starting to think it was a good thing it passed.
ReplyDeleteWe already passed the class size amendment and the minimum wage increase...in fact those measured succeeded with beyond 60 percent of the vote.
When there are groups actively using the system to subvert the rights of others, I would rather have that extra 10% margin as a check against actions like the marriage ban. That is, at least until we can ensure that minority rights are never put up to a majority vote.
In addition to the "marriage" amendment, we also face an amendment that would ban state funding for embryonic stem cell research, and another that would undo the class size amendment. Further, there is that terrible property tax amendment up for a vote in January.
I still think the 60 percent requirement is undemocratic. It was designed to subvert the will of the people. Sometimes what the people want may not be what progressives support. That is democracy.
ReplyDeleteEddie, tell me what your Florida primary plan is.