Five Questions For Pat Bauer

The Star's Mary Beth Schneider put five questions to House Speaker Pat Bauer ranging from how he would rate the legislature's performance during the past legislative session to the 2008 elections. My favorite response, though, is the answer Bauer gave Schneider concerning the defeat of the same-sex marriage amendment and whether he expects the issue to be back next year. Taking a swipe at Advance America's Eric Miller and the American Family Association's Micah Clark, Bauer responds:

The outstanding participation of major corporations in explaining the economic impact was a revelation that needed to be part of the equation. The harm to domestic violence laws and their enforcement showed why you needed deliberations and hearings before putting something permanently in the constitution.

There is a law (banning same-sex marriage). It works, and it's been upheld. But I believe (the amendment) will come up again because there are certain interest groups that make their income off of it.

Bauer hits it out of the ballpark with that last comment. I sometimes wonder what Miller and Clark would do if they didn't have gays to kick around.