I still think that Kansas’ gay-marriage amendment was unnecessary, as we already have a long-standing, court-tested state law limiting marriage to between a man and a woman. I also still think that the amendment’s part B provision restricting benefits likely will be tossed out as a violation of the U.S. Constitution. But the approval of gay marriages by the California State Legislature, which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has indicated that he will veto, is more evidence of the threat that many supporters of the amendment felt. It is clear that there is movement in the courts and the political process to expand rights to gays. So while there wasn’t any immediate challenge to Kansas’ law, it was not unreasonable to conclude that one would eventually come.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The hurricane has forced images of struggling poor people into the comfortable living rooms of middle- and upper-class Americans who have, as Eagle columnist Mark McCormick pointed out, been able to avoid seeing or even thinking about the effects of poverty.
A lot of people seem to think that poverty can be easily escaped and that poor people remain poor because they refuse to take the steps to lift themselves up. Usually the people saying that have never experienced abject poverty. A couple of books that shed light on the realities of poverty and why it is so difficult to escape are: “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich and “Savage Inequalities” by Jonathan Kozol.
It remains to be seen whether this tragedy will spur policy changes that reduce the number of poor people in this country, but continued talk of tax cuts for the wealthy and the elimination of the estate tax don’t provide much hope.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
I don’t know whether Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco filed all the correct paperwork and crossed every “t” to get the federal assistance her state needed. All this bureaucratic CYA will eventually get sorted out, I’m sure. But for the record, contrary to what some media reported and many Bush defenders claimed, Blanco declared a state of emergency on Aug. 26, the Friday before Katrina hit.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
There’s a lot of speculation about the political ramifications of Katrina. Not just whose heads will roll, but whether the disaster will change Americans’ view on the role of government. Here are New York Times columnist David Brooks’ musings:
“Reaganite conservatism was the response to the pessimism and feebleness of the 1970’s. Maybe this time there will be a progressive resurgence. Maybe we are entering an age of hardheaded law and order. (Rudy Giuliani, an unlikely G.O.P. nominee a few months ago, could now win in a walk.) Maybe there will be call for McCainist patriotism and nonpartisan independence. All we can be sure of is that the political culture is about to undergo some big change.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Most mere mortals would be daunted enough by a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, let alone a last-minute upgrade to that of chief justice of the United States. Then again, John Roberts continues to seem like something other than a mere mortal, from his golden resume to his matinee idol looks. When Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., cut to the chase with this delicious question in a one-on-one Tuesday — “How are you going to handle guys like Scalia? He’s a lot older than you” — the 50-year-old reportedly talked about how he views it as a “dialogue among equals” when lawyers argue cases before the Supreme Court. Ah, but will 69-year-old Justice Antonin Scalia, the conservative lion once viewed as a likely chief justice, view or at least treat Roberts as an “equal”? In any case, don’t expect Roberts to let anybody see him sweat in the spotlight of next week’s hearings. This guy is good.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The head says that remaining in New Orleans is unwise, but the heart clearly holds otherwise for some residents. Officials’ heavy-handed efforts to get everybody out surely strike many Kansans as antithetical to our treasured property rights and individual liberty. Wouldn’t it be better to let people stay, so long as they understand they are accepting the consequences? Make them sign an affidavit or something. Or how about adopting the “Magic Marker” strategy used by officials in the Hampton Roads region around Newport News, Va.? When residents in that coastal area refuse to leave, according to one official, rescuers request that they write their Social Security numbers on their bodies to assure postmortem identification. “It’s cold, but it’s effective,” said the official. It also seems preferable to marching people out of their homes in handcuffs or at gunpoint.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
