The Milwaukee Post

8 • Milwaukee County Post • June 20, 2014 OPINION By JESSICA MCBRIDE I've publicly supported gay marriage since at least 2008. I see it as a libertarian stance – I don't want government imposing religious views on others, and I don't want government to judge which person's com- mitment to another consenting, adult per- son is OK. I don't think approving gay mar- riage will cause societal harm; not approv- ing it causes individuals harm. However, I also recognize that this dra- matic shift in cultural norms was sudden. Some people see the issue differently because of religious beliefs. I respect that. So I also oppose the moves to chill opposi- tion speech by, say, firing people who dis- agree (like that guy at Mozilla). Churches should be able to marry whomever they want. I believe there is a reasonable, princi- pled, and humanistic way to oppose gay marriage. And to advocate for it. Our Republican leaders are handling this issue the wrong way. Some others are too. Some people argue that federal Judge Barbara Crabb was wrong to rule gay mar- riage unconstitutional because she is over- turning the popular vote (from 2006). However, the popular vote should not con- tradict the U.S. Constitution. Imagine if a very liberal state's voters approved a refer- endum to ban all handgun ownership. Most conservatives would want federal judicial intervention then. The media's arguing that public senti- ments on gay marriage in Wisconsin have shifted dramatically, so that makes Crabb's decision just. However, the media's basing this conclusion on a single Marquette University poll. Just ask Eric Cantor about poll accuracy. In that same poll, when given a chance to favor civil unions (not just "gay marriage"), fewer than half supported gay mar- riage (49 percent). It's hardly clear how actual voters would side in another referendum. Is it just a media-created shift? We don't really know how big the "shift" is. But it's being presented as fact. Others argue that Crabb's decision was an outrageous exercise of federal power intruding on states' rights. However, we are in the United States of America. Many peo- ple are fine with federal intervention shut- ting down the state John Doe investigation based on free speech claims. That "princi- ple" is a moving target. Then there's Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, whose office systemically allowed child sexual predator investigations to lan- guish, but who is apparently so concerned about LGBT couples wanting to express a commitment that he made the laughable comment that county clerks could be crimi- nally charged by local DAs for issuing mar- riage certificates to gay couples. What planet is Attorney General Van Empty Suit living on? It's loony. If anyone is to blame here, it's Judge Crabb for issuing a ruling so lacking in guidance that it almost seems purposeful. Was she trying to make it harder for politi- cal opponents to argue against her decision by ensuring pictures of smiling gay couples "just married"? If so, that's wrong. She could have issued a stay of her order pend- ing appeals, but didn't; she could have issued an injunction enforcing her order but didn't. It's reasonable for Van Hollen to appeal due to the state constitutional amendment. However, he's chosen which legal decisions to appeal before (refusing to defend the state's domestic partner registry). So he should stop insulting our intelligence by falsely making it seem like he has zero dis- cretion. It's ridiculous to float county clerks being criminally charged over an issue that is, at best, unsettled law and since they were following the decision of the judge and advice of corporation counsels (although if I was a county clerk, I would probably hold off until the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals or U.S. Supreme Court settles this). In a way, Crabb's lack of guidance was cruel to the human beings now in "are we really mar- ried?" limbo. Then there's our governor. He was right to allow state Vital Records to process the gay marriage certificates because that office has never made judgments about which cer- tificates to process. However, he then basi- cally refused to clearly state his current position on gay marriage, arguing it was irrelevant because it's a legal matter. Basically he just stated he's opposed gay marriage previously. Abortion and voter ID are issues decided in the courts too, but that never stopped Walker from pontificating. I am sick of the doublespeak from Walker – on the router, Doe 2 settlement, Kenosha casino ... . I'd respect it more if he would just tell us what he believes (even if I didn't agree with him). Walker's great strength was that voters perceived him as resolute before pressure. They liked that. I did. Where has that guy gone? The governor has an extremely powerful bully pulpit. He should use it. (Granted he agreed with Van Hollen's decision to appeal, but, again, that's not quite the same thing). Luckily for him, Mary Burke is a complete lightweight with no real record of anything. Then there's Republican congressional candidate Glenn Grothman, who said the Crabb decision meant our country was on the decline and called gay marriage "immoral." Ronald Reagan's great gift was that he was positive; he made people feel optimistic. No one wants to elect a mean-sounding sour puss. Just saying. (Jessica McBride is a member of the jour- nalism faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Waukesha resi- dent. Her column runs occasionally in The Post.) Love, law in limbo; Crabb offered little guidance with same-sex marriage decision McBride LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Burke has troublesome record on finances To the editor: Mary Burke's past gives us an idea what Wisconsin would look like if she were gov- ernor. Burke helped develop and endorsed Governor Doyle's 2007-2009 budget, which Burke called a "smart, responsible budg- et" that is "fiscally responsible." Fiscally responsible? That budget left the state with a $5.4 billion budget shortfall. Under Burke-Doyle, Wisconsin lost over 133,000 jobs. Their "fiscally responsible" budget resulted in a raid of over a billion dollars from the state's transportation fund, and a raid of $200 million from the Patient's Compensation Fund. They diverted more than $2.1 billion from segre- gated accounts to cover for their "smart, responsible budget." Why do Democrats, who hate the rich, support Burke, an out-of-touch Madison millionaire? Burke didn't pay taxes at sev- eral points in her career. Her family com- pany hasn't paid corporate taxes in over 30 years. Burke avoided paying state income taxes in the early 1990s. If she were a Republican this would be in the news every day. Burke brags about her leadership at Trek but she doesn't mention she out- sourced Wisconsin jobs. Burke made her millions by developing policies that expanded operations in places like China. Burke was quick to raise taxes on mid- dle-class families, both in the Doyle administration and on the Madison School Board. If she were elected governor, Burke would raise taxes across Wisconsin. We cannot afford to return to these policies. Wisconsin is moving forward under Walker's leadership and his sensible reforms are seeing positive results. Amy Holterman Milton Send your letters to: The Milwaukee Post, c/o Dwayne Butler, 3397 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53207, or by e-mail to: dbutler@conleynet.com. We reserve the right to edit letters for style, length and clarity. Letters should be typewritten or printed and include full name, phone number and address. Please keep your letters to no more than 400 words. Letters policy J.B. Van Hollen

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