R74 & The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage

Theodore Olson is one of the most prominent and storied conservative attorneys of our generation (a founding member of the Federalist Society he has argued and won 44 of 55 cases before the Supreme Court including Bush v. Gore).  He served under both the Reagan and Bush (Solicitor General) regimes.  And filed the lawsuit against California’s Prop 8 banning same sex marriage along with David Boies.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Olson

His article called “the conservative case for gay marriage” is considered to be the seminal white paper on how traditional legal, moral and civil rights principles are offended by gay marriage bans.  He concludes:

“Americans who believe in the words of the Declaration of Independence, in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, in the 14th Amendment, and in the Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and equal dignity before the law cannot sit by while this wrong continues. This is not a conservative or liberal issue; it is an American one, and it is time that we, as Americans, embraced it.”

The entire article is short and a must read regardless of your viewpoint.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/01/08/the-conservative-case-for-gay-marriage.html

Not in our State! – OIC shuts down insurance company

Keeping up its reputation for being one of the best Offices of Insurance Commissioners in the country, Mike Kreidler’s office suspended an insurance company for refusing coverage to a woman with dementia.

There’s a special law in Washington that protects elderly patients with memory issues when they forget to pay an insurance policy bill.   Ability Insurance Co., rejected a benefits claim of an 85 year old woman who forgot to pay one of her disability policy statements.  Instead of allowing her to cure the payment as allowed by state law, they cut her off.

The OIC said not so fast.

“Situations like this are exactly why we have this law,” Kreidler said in a statement. “It protects people who, through no fault of their own, have lost the ability to keep up with their financial records.”

The woman’s daughter filed a claim with the OIC.  Kreidler’s office took action, suspending Ability Insurance from writing new policies for six months; ordering  it to stop violating state law; and imposing a $10,000 fine.

Kreidler and his office are the kinds of public officials thatdon’t just talk the talk.  They walk the walk to help keep us safe.
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/WA-state-suspends-insurer-after-it-refuses-1355368.php#ixzz1KlfKAALt

A brand new website for federal public access

By Karen Koehler

 

The Washington State Legislature has not (yet) caved to government pressure to roll back the laws on  public disclosure requests.

The government’s responsiveness under the Freedom of Information Act is widely considered a barometer of how transparent it is.  “Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their government is doing,” President Obama said when he took office.”

This week, our nation’s Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli announced the unveiling of a website, foia.gov.  It provides the public with a centralized resource that details how to file requests for government records.

What a novel idea.  Helping citizens understand how to file a FOIA request.  Instead of trying to shut them out.