|
Monday, October 24, 2005
The Constitutional Amendments - Just Vote NO
Early voting starts October 24 on the Texas Constitutional Amendments. There are nine proposed amendments. I recommend a vote of NO on all nine. Consider the source. These amendments were generated by one of the most special interest-dominated legislatures in the history of our state. Every one of the proposed amendments serves a Perry-Craddick special interest -- be it banks and big corporations, Rick Perry's political ambitions, or the so-called religious right (which is really the unreligious wrong).
Concerning Proposition 2: I don't like the phrase "religious right." The protagonists of the so-called "religious right" are not in accord with most of the world's great religions and they are certainly not right. It is neither "religious" nor "right" to seek the destruction of our great democracy's Constitutional checks and balances; nor is it either "religious" or "right" to stir up hatred and prejudice against fellow citizens for the purpose of political grandstanding. Thus I prefer to call these purveyors of hate the unreligious wrong.
The authors of Proposition 2 seek blatantly to involve the power of government in matters of religion. Freedom of Worship is one of the bedrock Four Freedoms identified by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in one of democracy's darkest hours, when our cherished and fundamental democratic values were under attack from the evil worldviews of Nazism and fascism in World War II. Our nation's Founders saw clearly that freedom of religion cannot flourish unless government is equally neutral and impartial toward all religions and religious beliefs or non-beliefs; otherwise different religious beliefs and non-beliefs will fall prey to passing political winds of governmental favoritism and disfavoritism, and the freedom of worship will not be free. Whether a Supreme Being or a religious scripture recognizes or condemns same-sex marriage is a debate that belongs in religious halls, not in the framing of a Constitutional Bill of Rights that is the equal birthright of every citizen.
Furthermore, the Radical Republican Caucus that masqueraded as the State Legislature last session is so incompetent it cannot even do a good job of pursuing its own anti-democratic objectives. The wording of Proposition 2 calls for "prohibiting this state or a political subdivision of this state from creating or recognizing any legal status identical or similar to marriage." Did you get that? The proposed Constitutional amendment will prohibit the state from recognizing any legal status identical to marriage. In its eagerness to enshrine hate into our Constitution, the unreligious wrong has placed before the citizens of Texas a proposition to prohibit the state from recognizing any marriage. It just goes to show you that hate cannot beget anything but bad ideas and bad consequences.
Propositions 1 and 9 are on the ballot to speed up the Perry Government's rush to put higher profits into the bank accounts of private developers at the taxpayers' expense, through the public subsidization of privately owned and operated transportation facilities by the actions of un-elected developers' cronies. Proposition 3 would allow local governments to spend even more of the taxpayers' money on boondoggles to reward campaign contributors. Proposition 5 would be a dream come true for banks, by removing any caps on the amounts of interest they could charge for commercial loans, making it easier for them to increase the squeeze on small businesses. Proposition 7 would give banks another tool in their already large arsenal of ways to entice homeowners to indenture their homes. Propositions 4, 6, and 8 appear to serve narrow interests. Just vote NO.
Respectfully,
David Van Os
More from David on Toll Roads Props 1 & 9 >>
More from David on Gay Marriage Ban Prop 2 >>
posted by snarko! at 11:12 AM
 
1 Comments:
said...
Voting NO on all nine Props is exactly what I have concluded. I am disappointed that our current Democratic Leadership has not stepped forward to voice these thoughts as you do.
Thank you for all you are doing!!!!
3:48 PM
<< News Home
|
|
JUMP TO: IN THE PRESS :: IN DAVID'S OWN WORDS [BLOG]
:: WHISTLESTOPS [BLOG] :: NEWS ARCHIVES :: PRESS RESOURCES
Previous Posts
| Sign up for our NEWSLETTER! |
| WhistleStops, news, events, action: your choice of information! |
Visit our CafePress Campaign Store
for t-shirts, bumper stickers, buttons, and other politically corrective goods.
All proceeds benefit the David Van Os for Attorney General campaign. GO >>
YOU CAN ALSO CREATE YOUR OWN BUTTONS, flyers, and more, using our artwork, to help get the word out. GO TO DOWNLOADS >>
|
