BEYOND THE CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITY

The past several weeks, most of us voters have focused our attention on the consequences of having either a Republican or a Democratic majority in Congress. But other matters will also be on the ballots in various states. Among those referenda, according to the November 5, 2006 editorial in the Washington Times:

Missouri, Amendment 2: This ballot initiative to protect and grant access to embryonic stem cell research has drawn national headlines recently... Advocates of the amendment say that it will open the door to any number of cures, and that it bans cloning. But critics allege those assurances are false, and that the amendment's fine print actually permits cloning most conservatives oppose.

Michigan, Proposal 2: Otherwise known as the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, this ballot measure would prohibit state and local government from discriminating against or giving preferential treatment to any individual based on race, sex, ethnicity for employment. In other words, [it] would correct the Supreme Court's disastrous 2003 case upholding the University of Michigan's use of racial preferences in enrollment....

Virginia, Question 1: A state constitutional amendment to protect marriage as a union between a man and woman has a good chance of passing. With state supreme courts in Massachusetts and New Jersey legislating homosexual "marriage" from the bench, traditional marriage proponents have taken their fight to the voters, the democratic way....

Colorado, Referendum I: This is a domestic partnership initiative authorizing the state government to extend to homosexual couples many of the same benefits and protections that are currently granted to a married couple. Its supporters like to point out that the text of the referendum clearly states a "domestic partnership is not a marriage, which consists of the union of one man and one woman." Critics say that's just a matter of semantics and the initiative essentially legalizes homosexual "marriage."

South Dakota, Abortion Ban: The South Dakota legislature took the addition of two conservative justices on the Supreme Court as a sign that the days of Roe v. Wade were numbered. It passed an outright ban on abortion with no exception in the case of rape or incest. Opponents quickly gathered enough signatures to put the law on the ballot for the voters to decide. The law's original drafters knew that it would be challenged in court, perhaps getting as far as the Supreme Court....

California, Proposition 87: In the name of global warming, California liberals, a set which includes the uber-wealthy Hollywood class, have decided that the best way to get Californians to cut back on their carbon-dioxide emissions is to stick them with a $4 billion tax increase.

Don't forget to educate yourself as to any referenda on the ballot you will be casting on November 7!