Today is bitch & moan day but I got most of it out of my system yesterday. Well that was true right up until I read “Clerk says she was fired for views on justices: Republican lawmaker says that’s not true.” Des Moines Register. This is an interesting story developing about political bigotry and homophobic politics; which by the way is a complete waste of our tax dollars, time that could be better used fixing our economic problems and all of this amounts to nothing more than a huge political distraction to make voters believe something is getting done in the Iowa Legislature, when in fact we know it isn't. Whenever politicians have no clue on how to fix huge problems that they have created, they then seek to create a news distraction to take the minds of the voters off of the real problems. This is just one more example.

Jessica Bruning told the newspaper she lost her job as a clerk for state Rep. Renee Schulte, R-Cedar Rapids, a lawmaker who was one of 56 House Republicans to sponsor a resolution to amend the state constitution to give Iowans a chance to vote to ban gay marriage.

It’s also one more example of why a right-to-work state or the concept of ‘at-will employment’ means simply we can fire you for any reason including your political views. Here is the smoke screen answer.

“The short answer is no,” she was not fired for supporting same-sex marriage rights, Schulte told the Register. “Basically she’s an at-will employee. It could be for any reason. It makes me sad that she thinks that that’s why.”

I love that last line, it's so shallow. So why don't I think "at-will" helps the employee? Because at-will means the employer's will not the employees. And what's wrong with geting fired because of bigotry? If you think you’re safe because of your views, think again. It’s only a matter of time before even the homophobes have someone’s sights on their views. Whatever happened to diverse views being an interesting water cooler topic, instead of a reason for them to get fired? At one time we were a diverse and interesting culture in Iowa. Now we look more and more like narrow minded people who are afraid of our own shadows. This is becoming an embarrassing social issue for Iowans that will have major economic consequences for our future.

Whoever is last leaving the state, please turn off the lights.

Iowa State student fired from legislative position for Facebook post, Iowa State Daily

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