Initiative Abuse
Posted by Chris Martin at 2/22/2010 6:33 PM 
Categories: Politics, Fiscal Crisis of the State
Tags: Kardelj would have loved this
Categories: Politics, Fiscal Crisis of the State
Tags: Kardelj would have loved this
Readers of the NY Times from the State of California will no doubt be seeing ads for The Taxpayers Right to Vote Initiative. This initiative would require a special plebiscite any time a local government wanted to enter into competition with our local utility, that would be Pacific Gas and Electric. if the local government's bid did not get a two thirds majority it would lose.
So Democracy requires that we not only have a majority of our elected representatives who we elected by a majority of our votes approve an important issue, we then have to persuade two thirds of the electorate to go along with the change.
The taxpayers right to vote all of the time about all sorts of things many of which they thought were settled.
So Democracy requires that we not only have a majority of our elected representatives who we elected by a majority of our votes approve an important issue, we then have to persuade two thirds of the electorate to go along with the change.
The taxpayers right to vote all of the time about all sorts of things many of which they thought were settled.
Two-thirds voter approval is the standard for local General Obligation bonds for non-school related infrastructure and for local special taxes.
A vote requirement will ensure a decision by local government leaders to use public dollars or incur public debt to go into the retail electricity business gets the public discussion it deserves.
In fact we should have a simple majority requirement for all measures. we went to war in Iraq so that 1/3 of the population - that would be the Sunnis - did not run the lives of the rest of the population.
As things now stand 1/3 of the population of California - that would be you and other worshippers of the cult of the market - can run the the lives of the rest of us.
This is not about public discussion it is about public obstruction of stuff htat you do not approve of.
Readers should note that the URL attached to this comment is owned by the campaign for this initiative.
At last I have a Troll!
- WA
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