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March 1st, 2006 at 5:38 am
lol..
Nobody likes ballot initiatives when they are on the other side (I’m not on either side of the gay rights, issue, just initiative petitions themselves).
The proposed initiatives have to go judicial review before being approved for the ballot. Both sides of an issue get to explain their point of view on the issue. A huge number of people must sign petition forms to get the things approved (not to mention the rediculous rules regarding protection of the forms)
The bigger problem is when a law is passed, and then ignored by the government.
Proposition 2-1/2 has been the only thing keeping our towns and state government in check.
Without it, there would never have been state mandates to provide local aid and education reform money (the towns would have just kept pushing up their tax rates.. as had been happening for years.. remember “taxachusetts”?).
The initiative petition process was not designed to provide a “majority is right” situation. It is designed to protect the people from an oderous government.
It still works pretty well. I’m sorry, but when some issues are still so controvesial, sometimes the people need to be able to have their say directly.. and if they can rally together enough.. they deserve that right.
The funny thing was that the state government immediately ignored “clean elections” (of which I did not agree, but accepted the will of the voters), yet they refuse to fix the “leg trap” law that has created an ecological disaster where beavers have been destroying entire sections of towns (the homes of poor and middle class people).
March 1st, 2006 at 1:08 pm
The success of initaitives tend to be a function of spending. As such they tend to be a better tool for big-moneyed special interests than for civic-minded issue advocates. It has even spawned a cottage industry of marketers specializing in ballot initiatives. This is just another avenue for money to influence politics.
A couple of related articls:
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Political/Laws_Sale.html
http://reclaimdemocracy.org/corporate_speech/overturn_bellotti_initiatives.html
http://www.realdemocracy.com/bole.htm
March 1st, 2006 at 10:32 pm
Ballot iniaitives can definitely serve a legitimate public purpose if they are used sparingly and wisely — such as in the case of Prop 2-1/2. Like any good tool, however, the process is susceptible to abuse. My gripe is that, of late anyway, this abuse seems to be much more commonplace. To wit: the marriage definition amendment initiative here and this crazy evolution proposal out in Nevada — http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/03/01/nev_proposal_raises_evolution_questions/
March 2nd, 2006 at 9:45 am
If special interests can almost always outspend anyone they want to, then ballot initiatives are almost never a good idea.
Special interests can almost always outspend anyone they want to.
Ergo… ballot initiatives are almost never a good idea.
The real problem is that the alternative way of governing, i.e. representation, has already shown itself vulnerable to special interests’ deep pockets as well.
March 2nd, 2006 at 9:49 am
Look at those initiatives that seem to ‘work’ for the people and you will find issues for which deep pocketed interest have no (or not much of a) stake in.
The danger isn’t that well meaning citizens will not be able to start an initiative, it’s that moneyed interests will win them.