Guv, at odds with most Utahns, backs civil unions for gays

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_11666928?source=rss

Unlikely ally » Huntsman also supports other gay-rights bills, but they may be long shots.

By Rosemary Winters

The Salt Lake Tribune
Posted: 02/09/2009 07:55:02 PM MST

Here is a sentence you probably never expected to read: Utah's governor supports civil unions.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., a spokeswoman said Monday, backs Equality Utah's Common Ground Initiative, a legislative effort that would provide some rights to gay and transgender Utahns. Even more, the Republican governor favors civil unions.

It's a position that runs counter to his political party and against the majority of Utahns -- 70 percent of whom oppose civil unions, according to a recent Salt Lake Tribune poll.

"He's long supported many of the ideas that are presented within the Common Ground Initiative," said Lisa Roskelley, the governor's spokeswoman, noting her boss waits to endorse specific bills officially until presented to him in final form. "He supports civil unions."

It's doubtful Huntsman's backing will lead to civil unions getting past the conservative Legislature. And it may not help the rest of this year's gay-rights legislative push, which already has shrunk from four bills to two.

On Day Two of the 2009 Legislature, a measure died in committee that would have allowed financial dependents -- besides spouses, parents and children -- to sue in the event of a breadwinner's wrongful death.

FULL story at link.

[KamaAina]

1. Huntsman is also bitterly opposed to No Child Left Behind

By any outcome-based standard, Utah public education ranks near the top: test scores, graduation rates, etc.

Trouble is, "No Child's Behind Left" is so inflexible that it penalizes districts for having large class sizes, regardless of how they perform.

Utah is 70% Mormon. Mormons tend to have large families. Large families lead to large class size. Utah gets dinged under the NCLB formula because of this. Gov. Huntsman rightly objects to this and at one point was threatening to sue the Bush "administration" over it.

And here, once again, we see him doing the right thing on principle. Could he be the repukes' anti-Palin?

edit: caps

[w4rma]

2. There shouldn't be any excuses for not having smaller class sizes. It only requires more teachers.nt