Index of SPPS Budget Discussion http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/spps-posts.html _________________________________________ In a message dated 3/22/2004 2:53:10 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Now that this has become an official St. Paul Issues Forum topic, I think it would > be helpful if someone shared their thoughts > on what role (if any) our city council has in this debate. I think that the City of Saint Paul taking a position on this is relevant based on the prior history of the City of Saint Paul's actions towards equal rights and the legislature's response to it. During the 1980's there had been several efforts to include sexual orientation into the state's Human Rights Act. Those efforts failed, mostly because they were not seen as popular with the average voter. It was not until Saint Paul added the language to its local ordinance and that ordinance withstood a repeal effort did the state legislature move forward with those protections state wide. The state's protections are modeled after Saint Paul's not Minneapolis' ordinance (Saint Paul did not protect against discrimination in the rental of an owner occupied duplex and neither does the state - a protection that is there for all other classes). I always thought that the council author getting reelected that year also put some courage in the legislators. (Even though it created a block of voters who will never vote for him.) So, with that history in guiding the state towards fairness towards all of our citizens, I would think that the legislature would be interested in seeing the City of Saint Paul once again weigh in on the subject. Just My Opinion Not Those Of My Employers Past Present Or Future Chuck Repke _____________________________________________ SPPS Budget Reduction Forum - Feb. 23-27 Co-Sponsored By NEAT: http://www.stpaulneat.org/ _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
