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Power to the Politicians?

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Recently, legislators from 13 Western states got together to talk about a very serious problem: The People.

It seems more and more power is falling into the hands of the people and out of the hands of entrenched politicians. Those pesky citizen taxpayers have term-limited the politicians, you see, and are using the initiative process to further reform government. Term limits deprive the poor, downtrodden legislators of their lifelong monopoly on power.

Now, how on earth are legislators going to rule over the masses if they can’t monopolize power, and if the people are on a footing with politicians?! Excuse me while I wring out the tears from my handkerchief.

Okay . . . I’m okay now.

Thank goodness legislators, in alliance with special interests, are doing something about this, thank goodness. They plan to regulate initiatives out of existence and silence those pesky citizens. One Oregon lobbyist explained, “There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.”

nitiatives curb the power of politicians. Bill Sizemore, of Oregon Taxpayers United, says, “Politicians consider it a threat to their power, as it should be. They should keep their mitts off.”

Lloyd Marbet, of the Coalition for Initiative Rights, says initiatives “[don’t] always produce beautiful legislation, but ironically enough, neither does the Legislature.”

In the sixties, the slogan was “Power to the People.” Today, lobbyists, legislators and special interests are shouting “Power to the Politicians!”

Why don’t we put it to a vote . . . of the people.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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