Bartle and Lembke hate democracy

Two seek new stem cell vote

Two Republican legislators want Missouri voters to do an about-face on the issue of embryonic stem cell research by tossing out a constitutional amendment approved last month and replacing it with a strict ban on certain forms of research.

Republican? Why am I not surprised?

The proposed constitutional amendment, offered by Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee’s Summit, and Rep. Jim Lembke, R-Lemay, would remove all of the nearly 2,000 words of Amendment 2, which 51 percent of voters approved last month.

Matt Bartle and Jim Lembke don’t trust Missouri voters. Just because they find it difficult to comprehend a 2,000 word amendment, they assume others also have a hard time. And wasn’t 51 percent a mandate for George W. Bush?

Securing legislative support for the measure could be challenging. In the past, Senate Republican leadership has refused to bring similar human cloning bans to a vote on the floor. That hesitancy was due, in part, to deep divisions among Republicans over whether the research should be legal.

Senate Majority Leader Michael Gibbons, R-Kirkwood, said many legislators might be reluctant to once again take up the issue.

But Bartle said last month’s election could make it harder for legislators to smother the measure. He cited the fact that Amendment 2 failed in most counties in the state. It was pushed through by urban and suburban areas.

…Amendment 2 failed in most counties in the state. It was pushed through by urban and suburban areas. — So what? Are urban and suburban areas somehow less important than rural areas?

Matt Bartle and Jim Lembke really need to get over it and accept that Missourians have spoken on this issue.