First it was unions. Now, sex-same couples might be next on Scott Walker’s hit list. The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel is reporting the Wisconsin Governor wants to ban hospital visitation rights, saying they violate the state’s constitution:
Gov. Scott Walker believes a new law that gives gay couples hospital visitation rights violates the state constitution and has asked a judge to allow the state to stop defending it.
Democrats who controlled the Legislature in 2009 changed the law so that same-sex couples could sign up for domestic partnership registries with county clerks to secure some - but not all - of the rights afforded married couples.
Wisconsin Family Action sued last year in Dane County circuit court, arguing that the registries violated a 2006 amendment to the state constitution that bans gay marriage and any arrangement that is substantially similar.
Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen refused to defend the lawsuit, saying he agreed the new law violated the state constitution. Then-Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, hired Madison attorney Lester Pines to defend the state.
Walker, a Republican, replaced Doyle in January and fired Pines in March. On Friday, Walker filed a motion to stop defending the case.
"Governor Walker, in deference to the legal opinion of the attorney general that the domestic partner registry...is unconstitutional, does not believe the public interest requires a continued defense of this law," says the brief, filed by Walker's chief counsel, Brian Hagedorn.
Hagedorn told Dane County Circuit Judge Daniel Moeser that if he could not withdraw from the case, he would like to amend earlier filings to reflect Walker's belief that the registries conflict with the state constitution.
Uh, what does this have to do with cost cutting? To be continued...
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As a liberal, I'm so tired of the smug, smarmy, self-important, Trump-obsessed dipwad that is Lawrence O'Donnell. Ah'm so ignnerint And dumb that I trooly need Mr. O'Donnell to tawk down to me and explain, ever-so-patiently, how the world trooly works! Incidentally, You'd have a hard time finding another pundit who has given Donald Trump a fraction as much airtime as O'Donnell. Hey! O'Donnell! GET OVER TRUMP ALREADY!!!
Trooly and tawk? Seriously? And you think he is talking (note spelling) down to you? Wow.
you missed ignnerint.
of course, that word is probably more difficult to spell.
If you are a liberal I am 25 years old again. And since I know that isn't true I also know you aren't a liberal. You sound like a gop who believes that liberals are the elite intellectually. It bugs you that we have brains and think. Walker is a joke just like Trump. Well...maybe Trump has more money but that has never been proven either. GOP...less government remember? That means stay out of our bedrooms and our doctor offices and our schools. I really believe that you all must be homophobes and/or sexual deviants. Most people scare you.
How completely cruel. What happens to a single person who has no family? They cannot get a friend to visit? Just sickening.
When my partner of 10 years was dying from AIDS complications and was in ICU. The hospital in Charlotte, NC wouldn't let me in to see him because I wasn't "family". They had to get permission faxed to them from his mother in West Virginia before I could see him. Thankfully she was in full favour of our relationship and gave permission to the hospital and gave the hospital administrator a good What For. I got to spend 2 days with him before he died. Sadly this kind of discrimination runs rampant in Tennessee, where I live now. It is my hope that if I chose to have a partner again that he would be able to visit me in the hospital or to be able to make decisions for me should I not be able to make them for myself when my time comes.
Walker is an idiot. If he were a REAL Wisconite, he would know that when all the women are dancing together, it isn't because the men don't dance!
Kicks your poll numbers in the ass yet again, eh Wanker?
Careful, you're running out of groups to alienate.
Gov Walker & his fellow GOP Gov's have to work fast doing lots of damage before some of them get recalled . Several recalls as we speak People power works when we speak up and work together as a large group. So speak out often once per week. DEMAND reps work for US not Corps --not Tea baggers- not billionaires- not BIG OIL www.congress.gov www.whitehouse.gov
call 202 456 1111 WH line
Oops, Wisconsinite!
Guitardedkev,
why do you watch him then?
hey, Guitardedkev get over O'Donnell already.
Guitardedkev
O'Donnell has said nothing that isn't the truth and by the way, if he is so distastefull, why do you watch him. Just askin.
Right IF Lawrence annoys you Turn him off as I do with Fox non news
and Rush toxic talk radio blow hard .
Trump the clown is out Pimped out the corp run media . Newt is out for speaking the truth for once. Newt broke the GOP code ..never admit GOP is radical. Huck is out That 500 K Fox deal was too good to give up for the paltry Pres salary and all that very hard work. Palen teases her adoring news media about running Never will . She is a sarcastic mean woman -and a quitter . Good riddance to them all.
Doesn't Obama's Presidential Order require that patients in a hospital that accepts Medicare have the right to designate who they want to visit them? Wouldn't this federal policy override a contrary state policy? To be perfectly fair, any visitation policy should allow anyone to designate who they wish to visit, regardless of marital status or sexual preference. An unattached single person would therefore be afforded the same rights as anyone else.
Doesn't Obama's Presidential order require that any hospital accepting Medicare must permit access to anyone whom the patient designates? Wouldn't this override the state's policy? To be fair to everyone, any policy should allow any patient to designate his visitors, regardless of marital status or sexual preference. I don't understand why the Republicans want to be so mean-spirited.
The Wisconsin problems, and those in every state are just more evidence that elements of the Republican Party, supported by ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) contributors, a most powerful lobby who spends upwards of $600 billion a year to get legislation to benefit the wealthy corporate elites, are working hard to derail our economy and increase their control over the US Congress and state legislatures, if Obama cannot improve things. Their efforts are in opposition to Obama and anyone who wants to improve our economy, that can give the Democrats and the American people more control over our government.
This is the story behind most every obstacle in the path of legislation to improve our economy, build infrastructure, create jobs and regulate out of control corporations who are damaging our environment, and stealing from our Treasury and the American people. They won big in 2010 because of the economy, and have made radical changes in most states, and now are working to gerrymander districts with the new census, to maintain perpetual control over our government treasuries and our environment.
Where is this story? Why is no one talking about it, and finding a reason for the erradic Republican behavior, to terminate Medi-care, undermine unions, public schooling, and a level playing field for middle Americans to survive in this global economy?
Lawrence O'Donnell said he had never heard of ALEC before his broadcast last night. Around since the early 70s, it is time for the mainstream media to scream loudly about what they may be doing to America.
See web site of People For The American Way and click on: ALEC: The Voice of Corporate Special Interests in State Legislatures.
Walker Nov. 2nd can't get hear soon enough so we can start your RE-CALL!
And this has what to do with the topic at hand? Did you mean to post here or somewhere else. I doubt seriously that you are what yo usay you are,because O'Donell does not talk down to people except when they warrant it. And your spelling leaves much to be desired.
Walker seems like a hitler youth to me, never looking at people just a blank empty glazed look on his face.
a robot has more personality.
Gov. Walker is going about things the wrong way in the State of Wisconsin and that is why he is going to be recalled this summer.
He is taking away our right to clean water and he distroyed state run unions and now he is going after same sex couples. Who care if they marry or whatever they do. It does not effect anyone that isn't like myself yet he wants to make there world harder and wants to make them feel ashamed for what they feel.
If it is a money thing then why not start cutting things in the non essantal and way to big things like the Department of corrections and probation and parole agents. Take the braclet off people who finished probation or parole which that is wasting Millions of dollars. Why cut funding for schools, why infring on workers rights?
He will lose the election thats coming up. I hope Russ Fiengold runs against his candy ass.