Sen. Paul Gazelka, R-Brainerd, wants Minnesotans to vote next year on a constitutional amendment that would define marriage.
He was one of three Republican senators who announced Tuesday in St. Paul they would introduce such an amendment in hopes of letting voters weigh in on the issue. Gazelka, a first-term senator who previously served one term in the House, said Minnesotans have a choice of potentially allowing a judge decide on the constitutionality of Minnesota’s current marriage statute (which prohibits same sex marriages), letting the Legislature decide or letting the “good-natured, common sense people of Minnesota” decide.
“We want Minnesota to have a conversation on this,” he said in a phone interview.
Gazelka, Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, and Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, had each proposed constitutional amendments on this issue but will now combine their efforts. Gazelka said at a minimum he would be a co-author of the bill for an amendment defining marriage in the state Constitution.
If the House and Senate pass the constitutional amendment it would not require the signature of Gov. Mark Dayton before being placed on the 2012 ballot. It would, however, require that a majority of all people who vote in the general election vote yes. In effect, a person who skips the question, would be regarded as a no vote.
Gazelka said Iowa had a law similar to Minnesota’s that defined marriage as between a man and a woman but it was overturned in the courts. At least 30 states have allowed voters to weigh in on this issue, Gazelka said. He said he did not think the inclusion of such constitutional amendments necessarily rallied conservative voters to the polls, noting how California supported a traditional definition of marriage amendment the same year it cast its electoral votes for then-Sen. Barack Obama.
The rural Brainerd lawmaker said he was fairly optimistic the amendment would be adopted by the Legislature.
The focus of Republican lawmakesr, Gazelka said, continues to be on the state’s budget and a great deal of work on that has already been done in committees. He said the Republican caucus made a decision to make the budget a priority and act on issues such as this constitutional amendment during a lull period.
Gazelka said he and the other lawmakers want gays and lesbians to live as they chose but they don’t want them to redefine the traditional definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman.
MIKE O’ROURKE may be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.
Comments (47)
Add commentRepublican Party
Not surprising. They also vote against women's rights, blacks, Hispanics, the poor, unemployed....basically anyone who's not well off and white.
Paul:
Isn't there a deadline on the budget looming? This is a diversion from your real job that you were elected to do.
Jobs
How about jobs and gas prices
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! Another GOP lie.
Remember when we were told the Republicans were going to focus on jobs "like a laser"?
Of course Gazelka would squander OUR money on bills designed to get Republicans to the voting booth instead of doing his job. This is just an attempt for him to shove his religious views down our throats.
On a federal level Chip Craavack voted to privatize Medicare with underfunded vouchers that would leave seniors without medical care.
Party of Life! ROFLMAO!
Analytical Perspective where are you?
It shouldn't be long before Gazelka's big brother comes along to defend his poor judgement.
denying human rights
This is as disturbing as the GOP bills attempting to make voting harder for the elderly, young, poor.......with Voter ID,
also slated to be on the ballot.
WHERE ARE THE JOBS? WHERE IS THE BUDGET? they are pandering to their base, the people that believe Obama is a Muslim and born in Africa.
The Tea Party conservatives are accepting special interest money and being bought like the very people they defeated.....
Taking this to a voter ballot? less than four decades ago, laws banning interracial marraiges were still on the books in most states. When the US Supreme Court struck down these laws, a Gallup Poll found that 72% of Americans believed interracial marraige was wrong and 48% believed it should be a punishable crime.
Are we going to amend our Constitution to mandate discrimination?
Nice rant. Just about a
Nice rant. Just about a kooky as the things heard from the far right. A couple of which, you mentioned.
"allowing a judge decide on
"allowing a judge decide on the constitutionality of Minnesota’s current marriage statute (which prohibits same sex marriages), letting the Legislature decide or letting the “good-natured, common sense people of Minnesota” decide."
And the problem with this is? I thought that's how a democracy is supposed to work.
early in this country people thought slavery was 'ok'
taken to a ballot, they would have voted to continue it
any questions?
The Democrats would have
The Democrats would have voted to continue it. Any feedback?
Bigoted issues
And he had the nerve to ask for my vote and had staffers continuously calling to campaign for him. When will our politicians really start to work for the good of all people instead of their own personal biases and self interests? I agree with the cry for an improved economy, more jobs, improved state and national infrastructure, alternative fuel sources, national health....there are so many important issues without trying to divert us with bigoted side issues.
To Greg Frisk
Show me evidence that Republicans vote against women, blacks, etc. SHOW ME EVIDENCE. Where is it? Next time I see you over in Motley, probably around deer season, I'm going to ask you this exact question. I hope you have an answer for me.
Fish
You're just upset that after all these years, someone figured out your real name.
bigoted issues
Why is it a bigoted issue? Is it because you disagree with it? If it is on the ballot in Nov. 2012 and it is defeated which is to say Mn then has to allow gay marriage. Don't you as a gay man win, along with the whole gay and lesbian community? Would you welcome the chance to have that victory and endorsement of the lifestyle that you choose? Of course there is a small chance that the people of Mn will agree that marriage and the privileges that come with it are for a man and a woman. I agree that the budget, jobs, gas prices, cutting spending from a out of control government and etc.... are more important then this social political correctness stuff. However the people that are elected to our government should have the time to get it all done.
Bigotry
One need not be gay, black or have blue eyes to recognize bigotry.
Gazelka doth protest too much on the gay marriage issue.
Why is this such an important issue for Gazelka?
How about jobs?
How about a balanced budget?
Should we put every issue up for popular vote? Why this issue in particular?
How about listening to the people you serve, like you are
supposed to, and cast the vote yourself as an elected official?
So I looked it
So I looked it up:
Bigoted:
1. Obstinately convinced of the superiority or correctness of one's own opinions and prejudiced against those who hold different opinions.
Doesn't this discribe everyone you know? If you are driving down the road and somone cuts you off in your opinion he is wrong. In his opinion you are driving too fast and you are wrong. As far as you are each conerned you are "Obstinately convinced of the superiority or correctness of your own opinions and prejudiced against those who hold different opinions."
Or if there was a debate about the budget or spending or a Vikings stadium or a war or the weather or bacon or ham with your eggs each side of the issues thinks and feels that they are "obstinately convinced of the superiority or correctness of their own opinions and prejudiced against those who hold different opinions."
So I think you are just as big a bigot as everyone else.
Senator Gazelka knows how to bind up government
Senator Gazelka knows how to bind up the state government -- he was in office the last time the state budget was not balanced and the state government shut down.
We can see where his priorities are.....
His priorities are NOT balancing the budget, his priorities are NOT getting jobs into Crow Wing County.
[Senate terms are only two years this time around because of redistricting. He can be replaced in 2012.]
Gazelka election
He was elected because the democrats chose a 22 year old who had never held a real job outside of poltics to run against him.
Gazelka, get to work!! Do your job!
Stop sniffing through people's bedsheets. Get to work. Create jobs. Lower gas prices. Do what you were elected to do. Stop spending so much of your time pondering the sex lives of other people. Get to work!
Who's Priorities is Sen. Gazelka defending??
From an Outfront Minnesota press release:
When our state's budget is mired in a five billion dollar deficit, thousands of Minnesotans who want work cannot find jobs and families across the state struggle to make ends meet in this economy........No family is "defended" and no one's life is improved when same-sex couples are denied the right to marry.
Analytical Perspective
"You're just upset that after all these years, someone figured out your real name."
You can stop patting yourself on the back and get rid of the smirk because people on this website have known my real name for years. I know you thought that you were somehow punishing me by using my real name in one of your previous posts but I could care less. People know who I am, my phone number and my address.
I have noticed that you don't have the guts to post your real name.
and show us your birth certificate, LOL
this is proof that people can buy into a bunch of carp.......
(sorry fish, wanted to get the message through, nothing
against aquatic species)
did I hear 40% of GOP's thought Obama was not born in the USA?
egg all over their faces..besides the snow, the best laugh today
they questioned it because he wouldnt show it
He could have done this a long time ago, but remember, Hawaii doesnt release long form birth certificates does it? Oh wait.... LIAR!
I always thought he was born here, I am not a "birther." However, if he didnt want this attention, he could have released the long form.
Read this article, and see how much your savior lies. He lied about a simple thing, like a birth certificate, do you suppose he lies about everything else?
http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=285921
I can't believe I'm saying this but..
I have to agree with Fish, I have known his real name for years but in this blog I don't really think that is terribly important.
On another note, what is wrong with putting the question of gay marriage on a constitutional ballot?
Gazelka seems to like Sexuality
I find it disturbing for one, that our state senator would do the very thing he accused and attacked his predecessor Mr. Koering on. Gazelka attacked Koering left and right, and every which way on the gay issue, and how Paul voted. Now, if any of you can recall years ago Mr. Koering voted for this very thing, to put the issue on the ballot for the citizens to decide. However, Mr. Koering said that he felt there were more important things to be working on then the Gay Marriage issue. Now, Mr. Gazelka is more worried about putting this on the ballot then working on a budget deal. This smells very hypocritical of him. He's lucky the democrats could only muster up a 22 year old with no life experiance to be his opponet. I voted for Gazelka last time, and I don't care if it's Bugs Bunny as his opponet next time, there's no way in hell I'd vote for him again! It's time to get back to reality Gazelka, people can barely afford the gas to drive to work!!! Something needs to be done.
LLR if they had put desegregation on the ballot?
what would have happened?
it took a legal move to get that right, citizens would have rejected it, just like interracial marraige (my earlier example.)
Women had to fight for the right to vote.
Looking back: did we look ahead enough? Did people make good choices when they chose to discriminate in the past?
You know most young people feel this is not even an issue. Live and let live. Would gay community members in long term commitments - able to share their lives, property, to access insurance (a big deal now) 'threaten' traditional marraige? with a divorce rate of 50% (+?) they are not to blame.
Should we permit any form of discrimination to be built in our state constitution that we may regret later?
Minnsnowda
I guess I give the people of Minnesota and the US for that matter more credit than you do. I feel that the ordinary citizen is better equipped to decide the issue than the politicians in St. Paul or Washington D.C. I feel in the light of everything that is occurring with the economy and the state of the union that gay marriage, to me at least, is a non-issue but it is an issue that the public should decide.
buyer remorse on this one ??
as well as a lot of the Tea Party gang
interesting to see Ryan, WI. under seige at the Town Hall meetings
what goes around comes around
Really Eyolf,
That comment doesn't even warrant a response.