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Common Sense

The Ego Has Landed

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What’s the point of democracy? Isn’t it to delegate authority to representatives who then discuss and debate the issues, vote their conscience and so forth? Or are these so-called representatives just supposed to follow the orders of one guy at the top? Californians still remember how Gray Davis groused about his democratic burdens after taking office as governor.

Davis complained that the folks in the legislature had a, quote, “totally different view of the world than I do, totally different. . . . People expect government to reflect the vision that I suggested. Nobody else in the Legislature ran statewide. Their job is to implement my vision. That is their job.”

Wow. Casual dinner-party remarks caught secretly on tape? Nope words uttered to a roomful of newspaper editors. Later, Davis floated a similar theme about the judges he had appointed, saying, sure, they’ve got to follow the law, blah blah blah, but they must do it in a way that, “keeps faith with my electoral mandate.” Maybe he should just fax them instructions for each case.

Now Davis and his ego are grappling with a power shortage. Instead of working to repeal the market-distorting regulations that got California into this mess in the first place, the governor decided to get the state into the business of buying electricity. Davis was positive this would be a short-term thing, but months later the state’s involvement is still draining the treasury. I guess when the only person you listen to is yourself, it’s hard to get a second opinion.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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