Gov. Baldacci - DPosted on 02/27/2005 10:20:18 AM PST by SheLion
BANGOR - Setting up a fight with social conservatives, Gov. John Baldacci on Friday submitted a gay rights bill he said would, besides prohibit discrimination against gays and lesbians, improve Maine's economy. "In our state we treat people the way we want to be treated," Baldacci told a morning meeting of business leaders in Bangor, where he announced the bill's filing. "It's not special rights, we're just giving people equal rights."
The bill would amend the Maine Human Rights Act to add sexual orientation as a class protected against discrimination in employment, housing and education. Race, gender, religion, age, and physical and mental disabilities are among the protected classes already in the act.
Baldacci's choice of venue for the announcement was atypical by design, his aides said, with the Action Committee of 50 meeting at Husson College in Bangor providing a chance to look beyond the obvious social impacts of the law and explore its economic advantages. The governor said Friday the new law would attract workers and better position Maine as a welcoming and tolerant state.
Support for gay rights has been mixed in Maine over the years. In 1995, voters rejected an anti-gay rights initiative. Two years later, they repealed a law extending civil rights protections to homosexuals. In 2000, voters rejected a second attempt to add gays and lesbians to the list of protected classes.
The Christian Civic League of Maine has been involved in all of those political fights, which many pundits rank among the state's most emotional and divisive of the past decade.
Michael Heath, the league's director, on Friday repeated his group's intentions to defeat the bill in the Legislature and at least ask that the matter go back before voters.
As it stands, Baldacci's bill would not require voter approval at referendum.
Should lawmakers pass the measure as written, Heath promised a swift repeal effort.
"It's pure unadulterated elitism given the history of this issue," Health said of Baldacci's preference to let the Legislature settle the matter.
But Betsy Smith, executive director of Equality Maine, said the Legislature is the most effective setting to decide the bill's fate.
"That's their job, to study these bills," said Smith, adding she was thrilled with its reintroduction. "They can sit down and study this issue more than voters can."
Maine is the only New England state in which laws do not explicitly protect homosexuals from discrimination.
While there is no statewide law, about a dozen communities - including Bangor - have statutes on the books ensuring equal rights for gays and lesbians.
The governor's gay rights legislation is not the only bill expected to prompt debate over homosexuality this session.
A second bill, sponsored by Rep. Brian Duprey, R-Hampden, seeks to outlaw abortion if a child carries an as-yet undiscovered gene determining homosexuality.
"Most people would agree that to kill someone just because that person might be gay would constitute a hate crime," Duprey said, in a news release arguing some mothers would abort their fetuses if they carried the so-called "gay gene."
Duprey is an ardent opponent of gay marriage and of extending the human rights act to homosexuals.
Smith on Friday declined comment on Duprey's bill.
Nicole Clegg, spokeswoman for the Family Planning Association of Maine, was candid in her opposition to the bill, simply calling it "an unfortunate use of the Legislature's time."
Gov. Baldacci - D
Naw, just me being my usual smart-assed self.
hooooooooey!!!! yup, I think you did! yeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhaaaaaaaa! You GO, girlie!
A few days after the referendum failed, the 'rats started making noises backing off their promises of tax reform - Tom Allen made a statement that said that the failure of the referendum was proof that the Maine people want to keep their services intact - in order words, Allen was insisting that Mainers don't really want tax reform. Slippery, indeed. Baldacchi produced a bill this session which does little to lower taxes or spending, and hailed that same-old same-old as "historic tax reform". Conservatives are just shaking their heads.
The Maine Republicans have had issue after issue handed to them on a silver platter, but have not been able to overcome the Democratic political machine in Maine. Aside from general political ineffectiveness one reason suggested is that Maine, a state with a population of 1.2 million has about 300,000 people on public assistance. Hard to outvote that.
So if Maine passes this legislation, they'll just be pakcing in more tourists?
"That's their job, to study these bills," said Smith, adding she was thrilled with its reintroduction. "They can sit down and study this issue more than voters can."
This says it all, doesn't it? What liberals really think of the public (especially in light of the 2004 election)?
'They are too stupid to make the right decision, so WE, the Enlightened Liberal Braintrust, shall decide for them'. I know Massachusetts will do the same thing next year...I had hoped that at least other New England states would show some character.
That and the "creative economy" where they want to spend 25 million dollars helping sculptors and glassblowers - somehow imagining that an economy of artists will bring poverty-stricken Maine to the forefront of national wealth.
These people forget that the artists need things like houses to live in, food to eat and cars to drive. Until those are produced FIRST a modern society can not afford to support artists. Merely making a law that requires artists to be supported will not produce those thing that these people consume.
I know some of these folks. They are nice folks. But they have a fantasy that their friends will be able to drive BMWs and take European vacations while making a very good living turning pots or writing bad pedantic poetry in a seaside artists workshop overlooking the Maine coast.
Support for gay rights has been mixed in Maine over the years.
In 1995, voters rejected an anti-gay rights initiative. Two years later, they repealed a law extending civil rights protections to homosexuals. In 2000, voters rejected a second attempt to add gays and lesbians to the list of protected classes.
Unless you want to cater to smokers.
Aka, "The Lawyer Full-Employment Act."
Unless you want to cater to smokers.
Yes, it's pretty damn good how Baldy wants to give full rights to the gay community yet took away the rights of those us who choose to smoke. And pretty damn good how he forced a full smoking ban on all our private business's, therefore hurting them badly.
Oh yes! He is all for bringing in revenue, isn't he! If Baldy knew just how we WANT to treat him, he would be in his motor home jetting south!
He talks out of both sides of his mouth!
The governor said Friday the new law would attract workers and better position Maine as a welcoming and tolerant state.
Tolerant state? Who the hell is he trying to kid! He's a forking liar!
Exactly! And while we are on the subject: I am SICK TO DEATH OF BEING TREATED AS A RAG IN THIS STATE JUST BECAUSE I SMOKE. And the puke lawmakers are making ways to provide our welfare system to carry the 1,200 if not more Somali's in Lewiston and now providing a way for the gay community.
I'm SICK of it Madame Dufarge. I don't know who Augusta is trying to kid here, but it sure isn't the ones in Free Republic.
People from other states ask why don't we make a change? Well, how many letters does it take us to write to the lawmakers to GET them to change? They won't! They promise us the moon to get our votes, then once in office, either the sink from the RAT side of the house rubs off on them or they become so ball less that they become puppets. I realize we are outnumbered in the State House, but my Gawd.............
We outnumber the RATS in Washington and yet they still find ways to stop our sides votes. Why can't our side in Augusta stop anything that the RATS want in Maine? Why can't OUR side filibuster. This is getting ridiculous.
Remember this?
A very astute observation, and a brilliant synopsis of the Maine Malady.
I stopped getting responses to my letters from Olympia Snow years ago. She didn't even bother to send the form letters that Susan Collins sends.
The Maine Republican Party is an anemic, impotent machine statewide.
The lefties have the high-population areas sewn up and are driving the madness.
She was probably afraid she's break one of his ribs....
Uh, that would be "she'd," of course.
Seriously, the best I can think of these people is that they are seriously misguided and delusional. The alternative is to think that they are deliberately turning Maine into a welfare state to assure their own political futures.
Rembember when we rejected the turnpike widening? At least three times?
We now have a widened turnpike.
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