The Wisconsin State Assembly overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday to explicitly define marriage as a wedded union between only one man and one woman. Although the State Senate is expected to approve the bill, both houses will likely have to revisit this legislation shortly thereafter since Gov. Jim Doyle has promised to veto this measure.
This bill simply defines the institution of marriage as every civilized society has understood it. One might wonder why such a commonsense definition even needs a supporting law, especially since Wisconsin law currently defines marriage as a contract between a husband and a wife. Rep. Mark Gundrum (R-New Berlin) notes that common sense does not always prevail in the judicial branch of government and that legislation was necessary to “leave nothing to the imagination of very creative judges” who may attempt to interpret the language loosely and redefine marriage.
Besides enjoying considerable support in the State Assembly,which approved the bill 68-29, the public also strongly supports traditional marriage. A recent Badger Poll found that at least 60 percent of Wisconsin residents oppose any law that would allow same-sex “marriage”.
Despite bipartisan and popular support for defining marriage, Doyle intends to use his veto pen to ensure that Wisconsin remains one of the 13 states that have not implemented such legislation. Although one would think that the political consequences involved would make Doyle think twice about his veto, his track record as governor suggests otherwise.
Assuming Doyle keeps his word, he will have vetoed at least three major pieces of legislation with strong public support. Over the summer Doyle used the line-item veto to eliminate two popular items in the state budget; namely the property-tax freeze and the expansion of school choice.
The property-tax freeze would have required all property-taxing authorities in Wisconsin to hold their tax levies at or below current levels or above current levels with the approval of voters in a referendum. Another Badger Poll conducted in late August revealed that nearly 80 percent of state residents supported this proposal. Unsurprisingly, Doyle’s approval ratings fell dramatically, with only 34 percent of respondents giving him a “good” or “excellent” mark.
On the property tax issue, these poll numbers have already become votes. As I noted in a previous column, the freeze was the primary issue in a recent 21st Assembly District special election in which Republican Mark Honadel trounced Democrat Al Foeckler by a 61 to 39 percent margin. This marked the first time a Republican won this seat since 1928.
The school-choice proposal in the budget would have expanded the number of Milwaukee students eligible for school-choice participation. Several prominent Milwaukee Democrats supported the measure, including Mayor John Norquist and Sheriff David Clarke.
Additionally, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that of the 15,000 students eligible for the choice program, 13,419 (89 percent) have chosen to participate. Furthermore, 24 percent of all Milwaukee students attend schools outside of the Milwaukee Public School system, regardless of their eligibility for school choice. In short, the school choice program also supports strong popular and bi-partisan support.
One must wonder why Doyle has chosen to ignore the strong support behind these three issues. After all, during his inauguration speech on January 6, 2003, he said, “Every decision facing state government will be based on the answer to one simple question: What’s best for the people of Wisconsin?”
Doyle has obviously forgotten his inauguration-day message, but he has not forgotten those who made his inauguration possible. According to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a non-profit, non-partisan organization, $110,000 of the independent expenditures favoring Doyle came from the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC).
This state teachers’ union contribution far exceeded the combined totals of all independent expenditures ($72,500), favoring former Gov. Scott McCallum. It also explains the possible motivation behind his vetoes of the property-tax freeze and school choice expansion, two issues WEAC strongly opposes.
In addition to Doyle’s financial contributions, one must also understand his personal background. While Jim Doyle is a Democrat, he is also a Madison Democrat. He grew up in Madison and has lived here most of his life, having never lived anywhere in Wisconsin outside of Madison.
In Madison, many residents work in a government position. In the rest of the state, most residents make an honest living in manufacturing, agriculture or other private industries. In Madison, homosexual activists have organized to influence city and university policy. The magnitude of their influence is far smaller in most other cities in Wisconsin.
In short, the values and ideas of those who live in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Appleton and other cities of Wisconsin often have little in common with those which prevail in Madison. Doyle’s recent vetoes prove that he apparently has no understanding of this.
Mark Baumgardner ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in electrical engineering.
