Neal Krasnoff wrote:
> The authority of the City is not to "advocate", it is to enforce the > laws passed by it's governing council, subject to the superior laws of > the State legislature and the Minnesota Constitution. And since discrimination is against the law the city should not be spending our tax dollars on any business that practices it. > To exclude a contractor on the basis of his or her moral or religious > beliefs is a violation of fundamental liberty: applying a religious test > to bid on a government contract, which amounts to a violation of Article > I, Section 16 of the Minnesota Constitution. If a contractor wishes to > provide benefits to same sex couples, that's their business. But to > disqualify an otherwise qualified contractor on the basis of their > beliefs is de facto bigotry. There has always been a divide between private and public practice. When one carries one's bigotry into one's workplace--especially in the role of employer--their private beliefs become fair game. We no longer permit discrimination against Blacks, Jews or the Irish and it is about time that someone's sexual preference is off limits as well. Steven M Nelson Willard Hay REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
