Thestate’s Joint Finance Committee could go a long way toward restoringfairness in Wisconsin by approving Gov. Jim Doyle’s proposed domesticpartnership benefits. No, this doesn’t mean that thediscriminatory constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages orcivil unions will be wiped from the books. That would have to be undoneby the state Supreme Court or state voters and the state Legislature.
Instead,the governor is proposing that Wisconsin follow the lead of other U.S.cities and states by granting committed same-sex domestic partnersabout 40 legal protections, such as hospital visitation rights,end-of-life decisions and family leave options. And while conservativesobject to Doyle’s plan based on the amendment’s restrictions, a recentWisconsin Legislative Council memo states that the proposed domesticpartnership benefits do not violate the ban because they “do not confera legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriagefor unmarried individuals.” The memo points to lots of legalreasoning dating back to 2003, when state Rep. Mark Gundrum (R-NewBerlin) sought support for the ban from his colleagues. Backthen, even noted ban supporters such as Julaine Appling, then of theFamily Research Institute of Wisconsin, and state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald(R-Juneau) reassured on-the-fence voters that banning same-sex marriagewould not prohibit some legal protections for same-sex partners.
We’realso heartened to hear that the state Supreme Court has agreed toreview the legality of the referendum question that implemented theban. Technically, a referendum can only ask voters a question about onesubject. But it could be argued that the 2006 referendum’s questionincluded two subjects: same-sex marriage and civil unions of all kinds.The court may issue a decision by the end of the year. Let’s hope it’sthe one that makes Wisconsin more inclusive and tolerant.
Hero of the Week:LaTonya Lavender, Milwaukee Foster Mother
Certainprofessions, like policeman or firefighter, are heroic by their verynature. To that list we would add Wisconsin’s 4,100 foster families,who open their homes to children in need. From this outstanding body ofvolunteers, Wisconsin First Lady Jessica Doyle and Department ofChildren and Families Secretary Reggie Bicha honored LaTonya Lavenderof Milwaukee with the 2009 Governor’s Foster Care Award on Monday,citing her commitment to foster children in our community. Lavenderoriginally became a foster parent to offer kinship care for her niece,but has since welcomed several other children into her home.
Flatteredby the recognition, Lavender says the “hardest part about being afoster parent is being human.” The goal of foster care is often thereunification of a family, Lavender says, and “it is difficult not toget too attached” to the kids she takes care of. “Bittersweet” is howshe describes the momentous day when a foster child is reunited withhis or her birth family. The Department of Children andFamilies urges responsible adults like Lavender to step forward to helpthe more than 7,300 Wisconsin children living in out-of-home care. Thedepartment’s Web site is http://dcf.wisconsin.gov.
All foster families deserve recognition for their actions, which is why we celebrate LaTonya Lavender as our Hero of the Week.
Jerk of the Week: Wisconsin Manufacturing & Commerce
Unfortunately,our state’s major business organization, Wisconsin Manufacturers &Commerce (WMC), continues to lose popular support and some boardmembers as it persists in being a right-wing political player ratherthan an honest advocate for business and economic development in thestate. As you recall, this is the organization that chose to spendmillions upon millions of dollars in recent campaigns to help defeatDane County Executive Kathleen Falk for attorney general and the morequalified and honest candidates for state Supreme Court in 2007 and2008 with false and negative ads. Both of the Supreme Court candidatesthat WMC helped to put in office with negative ads faced ethicsinvestigations as they entered their new jobs as justices. What adisgrace. And if you still had doubts about the objectivity and balanceof the state’s business group, they put those to rest when they invitedKarl Rove to speak at a breakfast meeting in Milwaukee on Tuesday topush their right-wing agenda. It wasn’t always this way. Twenty-fiveyears ago, the WMC had a president, Paul Hassett, who had highintegrity and ran an organization that tried to promote the interestsof business instead of playing right-wing political games. We needbusiness leaders like Hassett if Wisconsin is to move forward.
