Supreme Court Marriage Decision Only the Beginning Courts

The MovingTHURST Forward,ON United COUNT Y – Moving Fo rw ard, United October 2015 Edition Supreme Court Marriage Decision Only the Beginning By Representative Denny Heck pens to be. There is no doubt marriage and commitment. der identity. gay, and bisexual workers have US Representative, 10th in my mind that this annual As joyous as that day was, While Washington state has been fired from a job because Congressional District gathering has made our com- and as much as I can’t wait provided housing and employ- of their sexual orientation. munity stronger. to take part in next year’s ment protections, many states If a person can’t keep stable Not long after we celebrated Capital City Pride weekend to have failed to protect all of housing and cannot hold onto pride in Olympia, the U.S. celebrate this historic change, their citizens in this regard. a job, their economic livelihood Supreme Court ensured the we know the work is not com- And unlike onerous Voter is at great risk. As a committee member of the House Financial “In his historic opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy even cited Olympia and Services Committee, I will work to move this bill forward Evergreen’s own, Stephanie Coontz, and her ideas on the evolving nature of as it pertains to housing and marriage and commitment.” credit rights, and support the passage of the complete bill as legal right to marry who you pleted. There is more we can ID laws, this isn’t a solution soon as possible. love. When I heard the news, do, and more we will do, with in search of a problem. This We must also elect strong, I rejoiced and thought of all your support. discrimination is happening in pro-equality candidates to the devoted couples already As a start, we can pass the plain sight. A study conducted all levels of government, and n June this year, I joined married in our state that now Equality Act in the House and earlier this year by the nonpar- recruit more representatives many of you at the annual would be recognized as equal Capital City Pride festivi- nationwide. I thought of the “… the nonpartisan Human Rights Campaign found that 63 percent of LGBT ties. For 25 years, we’ve thousands of LGBT and straight Americans have experienced discrimination in their personal lives. I allies I’ve met in the 25 years demonstrated that through tolerance and acceptance, of the Capital Pride Parade. we can have a proud commu- In his historic opinion, Justice Senate. No American citizen tisan Human Rights Campaign from the LGBT community to nity that embraces people no Anthony Kennedy even cited should be denied housing, found that 63 percent of LGBT serve in influential civic, com- matter what their sexual orien- Olympia and Evergreen’s own, the ability to attend school, Americans have experienced munity, and business positions. tation or gender identity hap- Stephanie Coontz, and her to apply for a mortgage, or discrimination in their personal I believe with your support ideas on the evolving nature of to serve on a jury because of lives. Another study found that and continued advocacy for their sexual orientation or gen- one out of every 10 lesbian, progressive policies, Thurston County can continue to be a “… one out of every 10 lesbian, gay, and bisexual workers have been fired leader in the nationwide push from a job because of their sexual orientation.” for equal protection under the law. PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID WA OLYMPIA, 107 NO. PERMIT The Three Cs of Education Courts, Charters and Class Size Representative Chris Reykdal of Cards or even the Kardashi- profits. Therefore, they are how can we possibly afford 22nd Legislative District ans, but there is a lot of drama not public schools. And thus billions of additional dollars related to our public education they can’t get public money. for class size reductions? So, system. The State Supreme Court in a now that the court has told the Here are ten things you need 6-3 decision made this pretty Legislature they are in con- to know to be fully caught up clear. Some argue that a fund- tempt for not funding basic with three years of “edudrama”: ing fix will solve this, but more education, and the court has The Legislature needs to rational people say, you have ruled charters unconstitutional come up with at least $3.5 to structurally put charter because they are not public billion on a biennial basis, by schools under locally elected schools, and the Legislature OR CURRENT RESIDENT CURRENT OR 2018, to fully fund our basic and locally accountable school has slapped the voters around education obligations. That’s boards before they are “com- for passing a class-size initia- about a 9% jump in our state mon” schools eligible for public tive we can’t afford because it budget. The court doesn’t money. would take away money from really say how – it can come Charter school supporters the constitutional basic edu- ducation should be from cuts in other areas, shift- insist the Legislature come cation mandate for our public about the teaching and ing revenue from dedicated back in a special session and schools, why in the world would learning process. But purposes, natural economic fix this at once. Not going to the Legislature come back to these days, it seems growth, or new taxes. What happen…See #4 next. town to divert money from our E the Legislature can’t do is put Stick with me people, this General Fund (the source of our our citizens’ perceptions of public education are being the increased burden of basic gets squishy, but I promise to underfunded PUBLIC school formed through headlines. education on local tax payers pull it all together in the end. money) to provide a fix for pri- “Supreme Court declares via local school levies. Here we go…Washington vot- vate schools using taxpayer the Legislature in contempt The charter school initiative ers approved a class size money? And even if we had a for not fully funding schools.” is unconstitutional. Here’s why: initiative last November that a fix, only the Governor can call “Supreme Court strikes down only “common” schools (public majority of legislators batted a special session. Although the charter school law.” “Despite schools) can receive tax payer off the table due to its high Governor can attempt to limit voter approval, Legislature money. Washington’s fledgling price tag. The logic is some- the scope, once we are in ses- suspends the class size initia- charter industry is made up thing like this, if we can’t afford sion, anything goes. It’s like a tive.” This isn’t exactly House of schools run by private non- our basic education obligation, Continued on page 5 Thurston County Democrats County Thurston 164 Box PO 98507-0164 WA Olympia 2 THE DEMOCRAT October 2015 I like the idea of being an obstacle! By Carolyn Cox as the idea of rep- ston County to have a third coerce government to do their sible. I don’t know about you, Secretary, resentative govern- party oversee an environmen- bidding – paying for elections but I like the idea of being an Thurston County Democrats ment become a tal review of its request – this and environmental studies, obstacle! quaint notion? If the despite a state appellate court filing lawsuits, and hatching Groups like the Freedom H decision that forbade asphalt schemes to recall Supreme Foundation which loudly pro- Tea Party and friends are to be believed, it has. recycling in the valley. Court justices. fess to be fighting for our Witness two well-publicized Lakeside paid for a slick ad These brazenly overt rights are stealthily working to efforts to essentially bribe campaign designed to make it attempts to buy government undermine them. The Freedom public officials into overturn- appear that big, bad, overzeal- decisions make me nostal- Foundation has been targeting ing prior decisions. The most ous county commissioners gic for the “good ol’ days” public employee unions for the recent was an attempt this were unfairly refusing to give when John Boehner handed past couple of years. If unions summer by a political action this poor little multimillion-dol- out checks from the tobacco are diminished, who stands committee calling itself the lar company a hearing. So far, industry on the House floor. to gain? Certainly not public Effective Self-Governance their tactics haven’t worked. Of course, the true objective employees and Democrats! Thurston County Association of Thurston County It seems that groups like of these big business-backed Don’t be bamboozled by Democrats (ESGATC). A committee repre- Lakeside, ESGATC, the Free- groups is abundantly clear: their slimy tactics, and above www.thurstondemocrats.org sentative openly offered the dom Foundation, and their To fool the public into voting all, don’t give up! Look how Membership Meetings Lacey City Council $2,500 to buddies the Koch brothers against their own best interests far we’ve come in Thurston Fourth Monday of every month pay for putting the question of think it’s perfectly acceptable and to remove all obstacles to County despite them. This is at Thurston County Courthouse Bldg. 1, Rm. 152, 7 p.m. whether plastic bags should be to do whatever it takes to making the biggest profit pos- no time to quit! banned on the November bal- 2015 OFFICERS lot. Lacey, Tumwater, Olympia Roger Erskine, Chair [email protected] and Thurston County have all Banning Plastic Bags Makes Ecological Sense banned one-use plastic shop- Doug Bell, 1st Vice Chair By D.

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