Wisdom from Business

Wisconsin State Journal editorial:

Milfred: Business will vote no on marriage amendment
Scott Milfred is editorial page editor for the Wisconsin State Journal

Business people hate government restrictions and pesky lawsuits.

So it makes perfect sense for Wisconsin business groups on Nov. 7 to oppose the divisive and distracting marriage amendment.

The measure is not just discriminatory and unfair, it's bad for Wisconsin's economy.

And if fair-minded people vote the amendment down, the boost to Wisconsin's image and business climate could be dramatic.

...More than half of Fortune 500 companies offer domestic partner benefits. So do more than 100 Wisconsin companies, including many of the state's largest private employers.

They do so because they want to attract talented workers, including gay and lesbian people as well as straight people who despise discrimination.

GOP candidate for governor Mark Green keeps noting that Wisconsin is losing too many young people. Then he ought to join Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and state business leaders in opposing the marriage amendment.

Wisconsin fails to lure and keep enough young, professional and creative people in part because of our rural reputation. We're America's Dairyland. We're farms and cows and Cheeseheads.

What many dynamic and smart young people want is a place to live and work in that's cool.

Wisconsin offers plenty of outdoor fun and beauty, lively cities and other attributes. But when a state goes out of its way to bash gay and lesbian people, that's not only wrong -- it's lame.

It suggests to this important demographic of future business leaders -- whether gay or straight -- that the state is filled with uptight people bent on telling others how to live their lives.

It's a real buzz kill.

This article gets it right. Wisconsin needs to figure out if it is a state for the future or a remnant of a sheltered, less tolerant time. This isn't a Republican/Democrat issue. It is about taking a stand against a flawed proposal that seeks to limit people's rights simply because they are "different" than you.

If you're a Republican you should oppose this because government has no place in people's private lives. If you're a Democrat you should oppose this because makes a select group of citizens lesser than others, excluding them rights enjoyed by the majority.

Vote "no" on November 7.