Vermont Governor: Fundamental Rights Are A Luxury We Can’t Afford

I expressed hope earlier in the week that Vernont governor Jim Douglas wouldn’t veto legislation granting same-sex marriage rights that is poised to pass both houses of the state legislature overwhelmingly (it has already passed the Senate 26-4.) Alas, it seems that Douglas will veto the legislation.

And, as Sully notes, he is doing so with an argument that is transparently unserious even by the standards of anti-SSM arguments:

“The urgency of our state’s economic and budgetary challenges demands the full focus of every member and every committee of this Legislature.”

Apparently, the focus of legislature on economic issues will be better maintained by forcing them to waste time assembling the votes to override the governor’s disgraceful veto rather than simply signing the legislation and being done with it. Hopefully activists and Vermont are getting ready to ensure that the legislative supermajorities will do the right thing.