Marriage Amendment dominant issue

By DUANE NOLLEN
The Oskaloosa Herald

OSKALOOSA February 25, 2008 10:54 am

— Smokey Row Coffee house was packed Saturday morning for the Eggs & Issues forum with state lawmakers, and the main issue for many was the Iowa Marriage Amendment.
Many who attended the forum were sporting blue “Let Us Vote” stickers, which showed their support for allowing the people to vote on an amendment to the Iowa Constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.
Curt Block asked Democratic state Rep. Eric Palmer: “Would you be willing to get that (The Iowa Marriage Amendment) passed out of committee and on to the floor?”
Palmer said that a district court judge had found the Defense of Marriage Act to be unconstitutional, and that ruling is under review by the Iowa Supreme Court.
“I’m confident that the Supreme Court will deal with it,” Palmer said.
Palmer said that if we amended the constitution for a bad decision, we’d be doing it 30 times a year.
Pastor Bill Tweed argued that the people elect legislators to make laws, not judges, and that the people do not have recourse with judges. He said people have a hard time finding information on judges’ records. Also, if gays are allowed to marry in Iowa, many pastors and churches would face prosecution for denying gays marriage, which goes against the pastors’ religious beliefs.
“We do have a chance to vote out judges,” Palmer replied.
Also, Palmer said people can find information on judges’ rulings and opinions at Iowa Courts Online.
An audience member said the Iowa Supreme Court had upheld the divorce of a lesbian couple in 2003, so he did not have confidence in the court to overturn the district judge’s decision on the Defense of Marriage Act. He also cited an organization’s “Family Issue Scorecard” that gave Palmer and Democratic state Sen. Tom Rielly low marks.
Both Palmer and Rielly took exception to the scorecard rating.
Palmer cited his votes on issues such as expanded medical insurance for children that other groups gave him marks for voting pro-family. Palmer also said he voted to lift the ban on stem cell research that would help combat juvenile diabetes.
“That’s pro-family,” he said. “It’s a matter of definitions."
Palmer also said the anti-bullying bill that was passed this past year covered everyone — not just gay and trans-gendered students. The bill included the language: “including but not limited to ...,” he said.
Rielly was inflamed by the accusation that he is not “pro-family.”
“Me not being pro-family?” he said. “You’re questioning my family values.
“I’m celebrating my 18th wedding anniversary,” he said. Also, since his mother had passed away, Rielly said that he has his father over for dinner five to six times a week so he doesn’t have to eat alone.
“I take extreme exception to that. Don’t ever question my family values,” Rielly said.
Pastor Dave Brown said he did not trust the Iowa Supreme Court on the issue. He asked the legislators if they would bring the Iowa Marriage Amendment to the House and Senate floor.
“We want you to let us vote,” Brown said to applause from the audience.
Republican state Sen. Paul McKinley also weighed in on the issue.
“We do have different world views,” McKinley said. “We’re all for family values” but things lawmakers do in the Legislature determine if the family is a strong institution or not.
“People have a right to decide if marriage is between a man and a woman,” McKinley said. He does not believe “nine men or women in black robes” should determine the issue.
Some other issues the legislators touched on during the forum included the statewide smoking ban with the exception of casinos, an incentive package to lure Microsoft to build a facility in Iowa, transportation infrastructure funding.
Palmer said he did not like the casino exemption to the statewide smoking ban.
“This is not a perfect bill,” he said. The exception is “not something that I like at all.”
McKinley said he voted for the Microsoft bill, but he had some reservations.
“We want them here,” he said in reference to the possibility of Microsoft investing three-quarters of a billion dollars in the state. Iowa has ample water and good electric rates. However, “we need to watch out for small businesses,” he added.
Rielly, the chairman of the Transportation Committee said Iowa needs to invest more in the state’s bridges and roadways. He cited a report that said there are only four states with worse bridges than Iowa.
“Our bridges are safe, but they need attention,” he said. The state is maintaining its transportation infrastructure with 1989 levels of funding, which now has about half the spending power, he said.
Herald Editor Duane Nollen can be reached by email at oskynews@oskyherald.com