Direct
Democracy Lost In
Florida And Colorado
By Joel S. Hirschhorn
14 November, 2006
Countercurrents.org
With all the hoopla about the
big Democratic win, little attention has been given to the assault on
direct democracy. Sadly, Florida voters caved in and passed Amendment
3 that requires 60 percent to pass ballot initiatives instead of the
present simple majority. What should be viewed as one of the great ironies
of all times is that this amendment passed by a statewide vote of 57.8
percent to 42.2 percent. That’s right; this terrible amendment
would not have passed under the new rule that now has become law!
Michael Mayo, writing in
the Sun-Sentinel before the election, noted: “Florida's amendment
system has its faults, but it provides a necessary and powerful counterbalance
to an aloof, insulated Legislature. Raising the amendment bar would
only make it harder for citizens to flex their muscle. And that's exactly
what the politicians and big businesses want. This amendment was put
on the ballot by the Legislature, not a petition drive. … If [Amendment
3] passes, democracy in Florida loses.”
Libertarian, liberal and
conservative groups and the Democratic and Republican candidates for
governor opposed the amendment, but were no match for corporate money.
Some $3.2 million was spent
by corporate interests to deceive the public and put a major dent in
direct democracy. The sole purpose of making it more difficult to pass
ballot initiatives - that in the soggy state of Florida amend the constitution
– was to maintain the influence of lobbyists on a largely corrupt
state legislature. Big land development, agriculture and insurance companies
wanted to retain the status quo when it comes to throwing money at legislators
to get what they want. Their thinking was that citizen groups would
be less inclined to launch ballot initiatives with the higher requirement
for passage. In the past, citizen driven ballot measures were used to
correct bad state laws or to pass ones that the corrupt legislature
refused to pass.
The current effort by the
Florida Hometown Democracy group to pass a ballot measure that would
grant citizens much more control over land development in this sprawl-crazed
state was a key factor in causing both the legislature and corporate
interests to mount the Amendment 3 campaign.
Presently, there are close
to 50 ballot measures in the pipeline for the 2008 ballot. Corporate
interests hope that many will now be abandoned because of the new requirement.
Interestingly, in 2002 two
important ballot measures passed by just 59 percent; one put a cap on
school class size and the other required universal pre-kindergarten
classes. The 2004 amendment that raised the minimum wage also did not
get 60 percent. Since 1992, only 10 of 18 citizen initiatives have passed
with more than a 60 percent margin.
As Brent Batten wisely concluded
in the Naples News: “The process of allowing the public to pass
law via majority vote provided a safety valve against lobbyist-fueled
legislative intransigence.” The same can be said for all state
legislatures and, even more importantly, the U.S. Congress. This is
why many people would like a federal law that would give all American
citizens the opportunity to vote on national ballot initiatives. Imagine
that: giving we the people the opportunity to correct the corrupt actions
of our Senators and Representatives. In the long run, that might be
the best way to fight corporate and special interest corruption in Washington,
DC.
What has happened in Florida
should be of considerable interest to all Americans, because corporate
interests may attempt to pull off a similar con job in other states
that permit citizen-driven ballot initiatives, one of the few and most
potent forms of direct democracy in the nation. Indeed, proof that expanding
direct democracy faces increasing opposition is that Colorado voters
just rejected Petition Rights Amendment 38 by a vote of 69 percent to
31 percent.
It would have expanded and
simplified citizens' ability to put proposed changes in state and local
laws on the ballot. Proponents of the amendment raised less than $1,000.
Opponents raised over $300,000 for TV ads; much of the money came from
home builders and other corporate interests.
Here is what an official
with the Chamber of Commerce said in favor of the Colorado amendment:
“We have to have representative government; that's the form we've
chosen, and we don't want to get hurt by people with special interests.'"
What audacity! That view from a major business special interest that
wants to keep its hold over elected legislators. Similarly, an official
with the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry said: “We
support representative government and a more thoughtful way of solving
complex problems." More thoughtful? Apparently meaning the thought
that goes into deciding how much money to spend on legislators to get
what they want.
In contrast, Dennis Polhill
in support of the amendment observed: “The establishment despises
petitions because it fears the people's voice. Petitions allow governmental
reforms, just what politicians, lobbyists and special interests fear.
Petitions provide checks and balances that make government more representative.
That's good.”
The passion among voters
to move power from one major party to the other should be expanded to
restore American democracy, something that mainstream politicians do
not talk about. A key need is to expand, not shrink, opportunities for
direct democracy. It respects the collective wisdom of we the people
and provides a crucial way to offset failed representative democracy.
Better than being bipartisan, direct democracy is non-partisan or perhaps
anti-partisan.
That corporate interests
are working so hard to curb direct democracy should be all that is necessary
to motivate Americans to expand it. It is a vital way to give power
to the people.
[Check out the author’s
new book at www.delusionaldemocracy.com.]
Leave
A Comment
&
Share Your Insights