©2003 Feld Entertainment
Monday, July 12, 2004
THE BATTAl
Lynne Cheney differs with husbani
on gay marriage amendment
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WASHINGTON — Lynne Cheney, the
vice president’s wife and mother of a lesbi
an, said Sunday that states should have the
final say over the legal status of personal
relationships.
That stand puts her at odds with the
vice president on the need for the consti
tutional amendment now under debate in
the Senate that effectively would ban gay
marriage.
“I think that the constitutional amend
ment discussion will give us an opportu
nity to look for ways to discuss ways in
which we can keep the authority of the
states intact,” Cheney told CNN’s ‘‘Late
Edition.”
The Senate began debate Friday on an
amendment that defines marriage as a
union of a man and woman as husband
and wife.
Supporters acknowledge the proposal
is endorsed by only about half the Senate,
well short of the two-thirds needed to ap
prove a change in the Constitution. Still, a
vote would put lawmakers on the spot in an
election year as they seek to balance backing
traditional marriage and gay rights.
The Cheneys’ daughter, Mary, is direc
tor of vice presidential operations for the
Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. She
held a public role as her father’s assistant
in the 2000 campaign and helped the GOP
recruit gay voters during the 2002 mid
term elections.
She has been less visible this year
while traveling with the vice president
or working at campaign headquarters in
Arlington, Va. As the election nears, she
will play a more public role, campaign
aides say.
u
When Massachusetts’ highcouti
last year that gay couples are
wed, the issue became a very
cal topic. Republicans hope it wi
votes away from the Democratic
dential ticket.
Both Bush and Cheney havevoice(|
support this year for the proposed
tutional amendment. Their
i
Be
think that the
constitutional amendment
discussion will give us an
opportunity to look for ways
to discuss ways in which we
can keep the authority of
the states intact.
â–  Secret
melar
rivals. Sens. John Kerry of Massacll'‘'j, 1 ''
and John Edwards of North Carol® K
pose the amendment.
The Democrats also oppose gay
riage, but defend a gay couple’s
the same legal protections as those®
ferred in marriage.
Asked Sunday about her husband's
moticr
The **
cademis
— Lynne Cheney
vice president's wife
President Bush said in his weekly radio
address Saturday that legalizing gay mar
riage would redefine the most fundamental
institution of civilization. A constitutional
amendment is needed to protect marriage,
he said.
During the 2000 campaign, vice presiden
tial candidate Dick Cheney took the position
states should decide legal issues about per
sonal relationships and that people should be
free to enter relationships of their choosing.
lease
Univ«.
J \&M
on gay marriage in 2004, Lynne Cfl an(11) ^
said, ‘T thought that the formulation It f 1
in 2000 was very good.
‘‘First of all, to be clear that peoples: I
he free to enter into their relationship I
they choose. And, secondly, to receI
what’s historically been the situationf
when it comes to conferring le|
on relationships, that is a matter I
states,” she said.
Lynne Cheney said the situation in3
somewhat different from the one I
ago because of the Massachusettsc(i|
ing and its effect on states.
Asked again about the difference!]
the Democrats and the Bush administ
on the amendment, Cheney reafftn
preference for local solutions.
The vice president’s press officetyj
immediate comment Sunday.
Critics blast use of school fund
to lure Wal-Mart distributor cental
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TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Transportation Services
FORT WORTH (AP) — Crit
ics are questioning the use of the
state’s Pennanent School Fund
to help lure a massive Wal-Mart
distribution center to Baytown.
In the deal, the Permanent
School Fund will buy a 2 million
square foot facility from Wal-
Mart for a projected $80 million
and lease it back to the retailer
for 30 to 40 years, with the rent
payments going to the fund.
Details of the transaction were
obtained through a Texas Public
Information Act request filed by
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Since the fund is tax-exempt,
local cities, counties and school
districts can’t collect taxes on the
land or the building. And unlike
most locally approved tax breaks,
Wal-Mart isn’t required to meet
investment or job-creation goals.
‘‘Wal-Mart is getting a hell of
a good deal,” Judith Hargrove, an
Austin lawyer who has success
fully represented Travis County
appraisers in tax disputes, told
the Star-Telegram for its Sunday
editions. ‘‘Why would you cut
Wal-Mart in on such a huge tax
benefit without making them pay
a little bit more for it?”
Proponents counter that Wal-
Mart will still pay $2.3 million
a year in local taxes. The site
currently generates less than
$3,000 in local property taxes.
Land Commissioner Jerry
Patterson — who also is chair
man of the School Lantl Board,
which oversees Permanent
School Fund real estate deals
— said local taxing entities will
see a huge increase in tax rev
enues from the site, despite the
loss of property taxes.
“How can you be upset about
that?” he asked.
The Permanent School Fund
was established in 1854 with a $2
million grant from the Texas Leg
islature. It has swelled to $18.8
billion and in recent years has
contributed $7(X) million to
mill ion a year to public duct
including buying textboola
The fund invested almoiic
clusively in stocks <
until a legislative dpi
2001 allowed it to expkofe
ways to make money, kWc
real estate, oil and gas.
State Sen. Steve Ogdea
Bryan, said the fund’s ecoiffl
development policies werelffi
“I’m concerned about all!
wheeling and dealingthafsj
ing on over here, soldowaitj
look at it,” Ogden said, 1
obvious question is, do we *1
to be taking local proper!)
revenue from local taxingtj
ties so we can enhance M
manent School Fund?”
Under terms of the deal,"
Mart’s lease payments w
roughly $4.8 mi 11 ion a year ft
first five years. Every frveyi
the payments would increase
fixed rate of 10.4 percent
athleen
five near
smbers a
NEWS IN BRIEF
Senators urge
White House to
quickly nominate
new CIA director
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Senate
report detailing serious flaws in U.S.
intelligence-gathering highlights the
urgent need for a permanent CIA
director given the current terrorist
threat, leaders of the Senate Intelli
gence Committee said Sunday.
George Tenet, who announced in
early June that he was resigning for
personal reasons, left the agency
on Sunday after seven years as di
rector. His deputy, John McLaugh
lin, took over as acting director.
Tenet’s departure came two days
after the committee concluded the
CIA provided unfounded assess
ments of the threat posed by Iraq
that the Bush administration relied
on to justify going to war.
Take advantage of
mortgage rates, experts
By Jeannine Aversa
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
I
iTexas
hoc i ate
WASHINGTON —Jump in now. That’s the advicefromel
to people who are thinking about refinancing a home orbuyip 1 ' Underg
in light of the recent drop in mortgage rates. Indies Al
Those falling rates are seen as temporary. Forecasters pkarz was
rates will again start to slowly climb through next year. interim a
“Strike while the iron is hot,” says Greg McBride, a fimwovostfor
analyst with Bankrate.com, an online financial service. rent Tli
“There is no telling exactly when they might quickly KreectiveA
course and move higher,” he said. I"l havet
The mortgage company Freddie Mac reported last week that lol e
on 30-year and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages fell forthethii
in a row and were at their lowest levels since the spring.
Rates on one-year adjustable-rate mortgages were at theirlo n ; , ,
•leagues
out this i
point since the beginning of June.
The declines took experts by surprise.
The lower rates, generally speaking, reflected investors’ growiif
fidence in the Federal Reserve’s ability to keep inflation under coil
whoi
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