I favor ending this petition initiative promptly. If adjournment can accomplish that, so be it. If the Constitutional Convention chooses to vote on the merits, I want to be utterly clear that I believe a vote to advance this question to the 2008 ballot is irresponsible and wrong. Given the significant challenges we face on so many other fronts, I would be deeply disappointed in such a vote.On the one hand, it's not yet his business. On the other, this is an elephant he's following in the parade and has to clean up after. Meanwhile, it's great that he brings some (albeit late) moral authority to this. Among the brays of "Let the people vote!," cutting through to the real issue is most welcome.
We can hope that waffling legislators might heed the incoming governor's view.
The whole release is:
Boston – January 2, 2007 – The following is a statement from Governor-elect Deval Patrick on today’s Constitutional Convention:
“I believe that adults should be free to choose whom they wish to love and to marry. The SJC’s decision in Goodridge affirms that basic human right, and I support it.
“Above all, this is a question of conscience. Using the initiative process to give a minority fewer freedoms than the majority, and to inject the state into fundamentally private affairs, is a dangerous precedent, and an unworthy one for this Commonwealth. Never in the long history of our model Constitution have we used the initiative petition to restrict freedom. We ought not start now.
“For practical reasons as well, it’s time to move on. Whatever one’s views of marriage equality, all can agree that we have far more pressing issues before the Legislature and the Commonwealth. It serves no public interest to focus more time and attention on this issue when there are under-served and under-performing schools, an infrastructure showing signs of sustained neglect, gun and gang violence on the rise, jobs and people leaving the state, a growing homeless population, soaring health care costs, a looming deficit and a score of other serious challenges crying out for the attention and the creativity of the government and the people. We cannot in good conscience ask these unmet needs to wait while a few individuals try to insert discrimination into our Constitution.
“I favor ending this petition initiative promptly. If adjournment can accomplish that, so be it. If the Constitutional Convention chooses to vote on the merits, I want to be utterly clear that I believe a vote to advance this question to the 2008 ballot is irresponsible and wrong. Given the significant challenges we face on so many other fronts, I would be deeply disappointed in such a vote. It would do nothing more than condemn us all to more years of debate and expense on a matter that is legally and practically settled.”
Tags: massmarrier, Massachusetts, amendment, same sex marriage, ConCon
2 comments:
Yep, we've elected a Governor who will pick and choose which laws and regulations he feels obliged to follow, disregarding the inconvenient ones.
Nice touch, belittling the sincere concerns of so many citizens with his "we've got more important things to do" brushoff.
I predict one term for Mr Empty Suit.
Amusing interpretation there, Anonymous. You might log in so that we can remind you of this later.
The voters made it all too plain two months ago that they wanted both social conscience and leadership, which they were not getting from the executive or legislative branches.
Meanwhile, on marriage equality, Patrick made it very plain that this was about civil rights, not the pretense of democracy or duty. It's been long that we've had a governor with courage and morality, perhaps you've forgotten what forms it can take.
I think you'd better get used to it.
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