“Six weeks after passing a gay rights law, the Kalamazoo City Commission has voted to rescind it. The commission voted Dec. 1 to make it a civil offense in the city of 7,200 to discriminate in housing, public accommodations or employment based on sexual orientation or being transgender.
The American Family Association of Michigan submitted petitions with about 1,600 signatures seeking the law’s repeal. If officials found at least 1,273 signatures valid, the commission would have had to rescind the law or put it on the ballot.
The commission voted 7-0 Monday night to rescind it.” [AP]
Tallskin
Yet more evidence, if any were needed after Prop 8 in california, that the great unwashed and too much democracy do not mix. Giving the great unwashed referendums etc merely leads to this sort of mob rule and the persecution of unpopular minorities.
In my (elitest) view a society has to limit democracy to simply electing a national govt and regional govts/ councils and then let the elected representatives get on with until they come up for re-election.
Otherwise powerful and charismatic men and women, and powerful men in the press/media, will always sway the badly educated morons that make up the majority of the electorate. And sway them, usually, for bigoted purposes.