Harassment and violence based on sexual orientation is a violation of the Maine Civil Rights Act.

The Christian Civic League of Maine may not like that, but it is the law.

That means the Attorney General’s Office is entirely within its authority to hold a conference today to teach high school students how to recognize and respond to discrimination based on sexual orientation, just as it may teach the same techniques to stop discrimination based on race, religion, physical or mental disability and nationality.

Michael Heath, executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, is making it his personal goal to close down Civil Rights Teams now in place in hundreds of Maine’s public high schools. He does not believe taxpayer funds should be used to teach tolerance for homosexuals, or what he considers “gay” propaganda.

Oddly, with our nation’s proud history of separation of church and state, an equal argument could be made that taxpayer funds must not be used to teach religious tolerance.

Heath, who plans to attend the conference, has expressed concern about two workshops that deal with tolerance regardless of sexual orientation. That is the same number of workshops organized to explore tolerance for religious beliefs, which suggests that attention to sexual orientation is no more weighted than that devoted to religious tolerance.

Heath certainly wants to protect anyone who expresses their religious beliefs aloud, but his convictions are so intolerant of homosexuals that he doesn’t believe an extension of those protections need be afforded to anyone because of sexual orientation.

He’s entitled to that view and equally entitled to express it, which he intends to do by distributing fliers to students. But, the irony of Heath’s speaking out against a minority cannot be missed.

By using his religions conviction to argue for dismantling the civil rights teams, Heath is threatening to kill a program that teaches and promotes protection for those who express their religious beliefs.

By taking aim at the civil rights teams and arguing discrimination against homosexuals must not be taught, Heath’s personal bias has more than proved why the teams are necessary in Maine schools.
Inequitable tax
As Maine moves ahead with tax reform, the idea of raising the sales tax and extending it to services not yet taxed is gaining ground.

There’s a lot that can be said for raising the sales tax, including having visitors contribute to our tax base. However, raising the sales tax punishes the poor.

According to the Kids Count 2003 Data Book, families who earn less than $15,000 a year pay about 10 percent of their total income in taxes. Those who earn more than $477,000 pay 6.8 percent.

Poor Mainers pay very little excise, property and income taxes because they simply don’t make enough money to own cars, homes or be subject to income taxes. Their greatest tax burden is on sales.

Wealthier Mainers pay a lot in excise, property and income taxes because they own goods. They also buy things and pay sales taxes, but not close to 10 percent of earnings.

While it may seem easy to adjust the sales tax upwards, it is not equitable.
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