Iowa Lawmakers on Gay Marriage - what a dissapointment by our Democratic legislators

[Debi]

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080210/NEWS10/802100340

Question: Do you believe marriage should be only between a man and a woman?

SENATE
YES: Staci Appel, D-Ackworth; Daryl Beall, D-Fort Dodge; Dennis Black, D-Grinnell; Jeff Danielson, D-Cedar Falls; Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo; Gene Fraise, D-Fort Madison; Thurman Gaskill, R-Corwith; Tom Hancock, D-Epworth; William Heckroth, D-Waverly; Wally Horn, D-Cedar Rapids; Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg; Keith Kreiman, D-Bloomfield; Paul McKinley, R-Chariton; Amanda Ragan, D-Mason City; Tom Rielly, D-Oskaloosa; Becky Schmitz, D-Fairfield; Brian Schoenjahn, D-Arlington; Joe Seng, D-Davenport; Roger Stewart, D-Preston; Steve Warnstadt, D-Sioux City; Frank Wood, D-Eldridge; Jeff Angelo, R-Creston; Jerry Behn, R-Boone; Nancy Boettger, R-Harlan; David Hartsuch, R-Bettendorf; James Hahn, R-Muscatine; Hubert Houser, R-Carson; David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan; Steve Kettering, R-Lake View; Mary Lundby, R-Marion; Larry McKibben, R-Marshalltown; Dave Mulder, R-Sioux Center; Larry Noble, R-Ankeny; Rich Olive, R-Story City; John Putney, R-Gladbrook; James Seymour, R-Woodbine; Pat Ward, R-West Des Moines; Ron Wieck, R-Sioux City; Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale; Mark Zieman, R-Postville.
NO: Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City; Michael Connolly, D-Dubuque; Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines.
DECLINED TO SAY YES OR NO: Tom Courtney, D-Burlington; Dick Dearden, D-Des Moines; Robert Dvorsky, D-Coralville; Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs; Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines; Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames.
UNDECIDED: Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids.

HOUSE
YES: Ako Abdul-Samad, D-Des Moines; McKinley Bailey, D-Webster City; Paul Bell, D-Newton; Polly Bukta, D-Clinton; Swati Dandekar, D-Marion; Mark Davitt, D-Indianola; Ro Foege, D-Mount Vernon; Wayne Ford, D-Des Moines; Marcella Frevert, D-Emmetsburg; Mary Gaskill, D-Ottumwa; Lisa Heddens, D-Ames; Geri Huser, D-Altoona; Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque; Doris Kelley, D-Waterloo; Bob Kressig, D-Cedar Falls; Mark Kuhn, D-Charles City; Jim Lykam, D-Davenport; Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines; Helen Miller, D-Fort Dodge; Donovan Olson, D-Boone; Eric Palmer, D-Oskaloosa; Mike Reasoner, D-Creston; Nathan Reichert, D-Muscatine; Tom Schueller, D-Maquoketa; Paul Shomshor, D-Council Bluffs; Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown; Art Staed, D-Cedar Rapids; Todd Taylor, D-Cedar Rapids; Roger Thomas, D-Elkader; Roger Wendt, D-Sioux City; Andrew Wenthe, D-Hawkeye; John Whitaker, D-Hillsboro; Wes Whitead, D-Sioux City; Philip Wise, D-Keokuk; Ray Zirkelbach, D-Monticello; Chuck Gipp, R-Decorah; Clarence Hoffman, R-Denison; Dawn Pettengill, R-Mount Auburn; Scott Raecker, R-Urbandale; Rod Roberts, R-Carroll; Bill Schickel, R-Mason City.
NO: Elesha Gayman, D-Davenport; Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines; Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City; Dick Taylor, D-Cedar Rapids.
DECLINED TO SAY YES OR NO: Deborah Berry, D-Waterloo; Dennis Cohoon, D-Burlington; David Jacoby, D-Coralville; Vicki Lensing, D-Iowa City; Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque; Jo Oldson, D-Des Moines; Rick Olson, D-Des Moines; Tyler Olson, D-Cedar Rapids; Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines; Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames; Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport.
NOT SURVEYED: These lawmakers weren’t surveyed on this question because they are co-sponsors of a constitutional amendment that states that marriage is between a man and a woman:
Dolores Mertz, D-Ottosen; Brian Quirk, D-New Hampton; Kurt Swaim, D-Bloomfield; Dwayne Alons, R-Hull; Rich Anderson, R-Clarinda; Richard Arnold, R-Russell; Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield; Carmine Boal R-Ankeny; Royd Chambers, R-Sheldon; Dan Clute, R-Clive; Betty De Boef, R-What Cheer; Dave Deyoe, R-Nevada; Cecil Dolecheck, R-Mount Ayr; Jack Drake, R-Lewis; Greg Forristall, R-Macedonia; Polly Granzow, R-Eldora; Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford; Sandy Greiner, R-Keota; Dave Heaton, R-Mount Pleasant; Lance Horbach, R-Tama; Dan Huseman, R-Aurelia; Libby Jacobs, R-West Des Moines; Jeff Kaufmann, R-Wilton; Steven Lukan, R-New Vienna; Mike May, R-Spirit Lake; Linda Miller, R-Bettendorf; Steven Olson, R-DeWitt; Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha; Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City; Dan Rasmussen, R-Independence; Henry Rayhons, R-Garner; Tom Sands, R-Columbus Junction; Chuck Soderberg, R-Le Mars; Doug Struyk, R-Council Bluffs; Dave Tjepkes, R-Gowrie; Walt Tomenga, R-Johnston; Jodi Tymeson, R-Winterset; Linda Upmeyer, R-Garner; Jim Van Engelenhoven, R-Pella; Jamie Van Fossen, R-Davenport; Ralph Watts, R-Adel; Tami Wiencek, R-Waterloo; Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley; Gary Worthan, R-Storm Lake.
Note: Republican Rod Roberts of Carroll also was a sponsor but answered the survey.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Yep, every Senator/Rep. from my area doesn't believe in equal rights for the GLBT community x( terrible!

On edit:

These folks say they wouldn't vote on the constitutional amentment: (I guess that's supposed to make us feel better?)

Question: Would you vote “yes” or “no” on House Joint Resolution 8 or Senate Joint Resolution 2001, which would begin the process to amend the Iowa Constitution and define marriage as only between a man and a woman?

SENATE
YES/Democrats: Black, Hancock, Kreiman.
YES/Republicans: Angelo, Behn, Boettger, Hahn, Hartsuch, Houser, Johnson, Putney, McKibben, McKinley, Mulder, Noble, Zieman, Kettering, Seymour, Ward, Wieck, Zaun.
NO/Democrats: Bolkcom, Courtney, Danielson, Dearden, Dotzler, Dvorsky, Heckroth, Hogg, Kibbie, McCoy, Ragan, Stewart, Schmitz, Warnstadt, Schoenjahn.
NO/Republican: Lundby.
DECLINED TO SAY YES OR NO/Democrats: Appel, Connolly, Gronstal, Hatch, Quirmbach.
DECLINED TO SAY YES OR NO/Republican: Olive.
UNDECIDED/Democrats: Beall, Fraise, Horn, Reilly, Seng, Wood.
UNDECIDED/Republican: Gaskill.

HOUSE
YES/Democrats: Huser, Mertz, Quirk, Swaim.
YES/Republicans: Alons, Anderson, Arnold, Baudler, Boal, Chambers, Clute, De Boef, Deyoe, Dolecheck, Drake, Forristall, Granzow, Grassley, Greiner, Heaton, Hoffman, Horbach, Huseman, Jacobs, Kaufmann, Lukan, May, Miller, Olson, Paulsen, Pettengill, Raecker, Rants, Rasmussen, Rayhons, Roberts, Sands, Schickel, Soderberg, Struyk, Tjepkes, Tomenga, Tymeson, Upmeyer, Van Engelenhoven, Van Fossen, Watts, Wiencek, Windschitl, Worthan.
NO/Democrats: Abdul-Samad, Bailey, Bell, Berry, Bukta, Cohoon, Dandekar, Davitt, Foege, Ford, Frevert, Gaskill, Gayman, Heddens, Hunter, Jacoby, Jochum, Kelley, Kressig, Kuhn, Lensing, Lykam, Mascher, McCarthy, Miller, Murphy, Oldson, D. Olson, R. Olson, T. Olson, Palmer, Petersen, Reasoner, Reichert, Schueller, Shomshor, Smith, Staed, D. Taylor, T. Taylor, Thomas, Wendt, Wenthe, Wessel-Kroesschell, Whitaker, Whitead, Winckler, Wise, Zirkelbach.
NO/Republican: Gipp.

[pstans]

1. The first question shouldn't be even discussed

The 2nd question, the majority of Democrats say no.

All this discussion is a waste of time.

http://commoniowan.blogspot.com/2007/08/blue-states-have-fewer-divorces.html

The lowest divorce rates are largely in the blue states: the Northeast and the upper Midwest. And the state with the lowest divorce rate was Massachusetts, home to John Kerry, the Kennedys and same-sex marriage.

In 2003, the rate in Massachusetts was 5.7 divorces per 1,000 married people, compared with 10.8 in Kentucky, 11.1 in Mississippi and 12.7 in Arkansas.

"Some people are saying, 'The Bible Belt is so pro-marriage, but gee, they have the highest divorce rates in the country,' " said Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, co-director of the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University. "And there's a lot of worry in the red states about the high rate of divorce."

[Debi]

2. It's legal discrimination - and the majority of our Democratic elected officials

agree with it.

[pstans]

3. Here's my view

The Government should not have anything to do with marriage. Marriage is an agreement between a church and two people. The church should be able to decide which people to marry. The Government should issue civil union liscenses to people that would provide legal benefits.

[Debi]

4. Agreed -

However the state in in the practice of providing marriage licenses to heterosexual couples right now. So until the State decides to get out of the marriage business they should not discriminate.

A heterosexual couple that chooses not to enter into a state licensed committed relationship through a religious institution is still considered 'married' by the State of Iowa. Why should the state choose to treat a homosexual couple any different, even if it just bestows a different title to their union?

Fair is fair p - either allow gay marriage or get out of the marriage business and start issuing 'civil union' licenses to all couples who choose not to be legally committed in a religious institution (married).

[Counciltucky]

7. Agreed either way.

Though I would prefer the state steps aside and gets out of the marriage business. Not allowing equal rights to gays is discrimination, plain and simple.

[Debi]

8. Stop agreeing with me!!!

Cooties....ew x(

[Counciltucky]

15. Don't worry -- I feel equally disgusted...

Agreeing with a Republican ..... EWW!

[rurallib]

5. The state didn't care about marriage until after the civil war

Immediately after and then in the south. I think Alabama was first to come up with marriage laws. I assume no one needs to ask why. I believe the last of these anti-mixed race marriage laws were finally rescinded in the early 1990s I believe.
I totally agree with Pstans on this. The only role the government should have is to record a union for purposes of responsibilities and benefits. If some folks want that great old time feeling of a union blessed by God let them go to a church of their choosing along with a civil union license.
We know some very long time same sex coupling, longer than our marriage that hits 34 years this year. I have never felt threatened by them or anyone else.

But the important point is the total lack of a spine by our elected leaders, yet again. Kudos to Elisha Gayman who will no doubt be targeted this cycle. That young lady has a spine.

[Counciltucky]

16. "I assume no one needs to ask why."

lol -- Actually I thought you were implying inbreeding at first.

:hide:

[leQ]

17. HERE! HERE!

the word marriage should be banned from all laws except those that deal with religion.

[Vet31203]

19. The word?

The whole institution should be banned! Staright, gay, martian, no one should have to suffer throught marriage:)

William J Meyers for House 2008

[progressoid]

6. Jeez, I knew it was bad, but I didn't know it was this bad.

Either we have a lot of Democrats that are trying to avoid a conflict or they really are...well...homophobic. Either way, this is going to get messy.

[Debi]

11. I shouldn't be a hard choice to make

Either they believe in equal rights or they don't.

Well........?

[progressoid]

12. Yep!

B..B..B..But, if we let them gays get married, my marriage will be meaningless...er something like that. :banghead:

[Debi]

13. Thanks Mr. Rants

:puke:

I hope our Democratic legislators don't use that line!

[progressoid]

14. If I hit my head with this hammer, I can come up with a lot more great Republican sound-bites.

It's my home made lobotomy kit.

[DU9598]

9. Too disgusted to reply

and definitely too disgusted to donate any more money to the Iowa Senate Democratic Majority Fund. The only majority that appears safe is the "conservative moral" one. Ick

[Debi]

10. I hear ya! Iowa Democrats are certainly doing all they can to prove that they

well....aren't REALLY Democrats x(

[IADEMO2004]

18. They are very safe in western Ia 70-29 for amendment KMA radio poll

http://kma960.com/absolutepm/xlacomments.asp?p=649

The comments won't let you sleep at night