American government is supposed to reflect the will of the people, but it really doesn’t. And the people know it.
Consider what’s happening in Idaho. In 1994, voters passed term limits for state legislators, statewide officers and local officials. Politicians railed against the proposal, as would be expected. Voters loved it. Yet, even after the votes have been counted the legislature constantly threatens to repeal the law. Only the outrage of the people stands in their way.
In 1998, legislators required a re-vote on the issue. Even after a second approval of term limits, the politicians still refuse to accept the results. Local politicians complain that passing limits on them in a statewide vote wasn’t fair. It’s hard to find good people to serve they tell us. And the people didn’t really want limits on their local politicians.
Trusting the common sense of the people, Idaho’s term limits group agreed it was only right that local voters should be able to revisit term limits, to alter or even abolish them. Just let local folks at the local level take a local vote. Yet when legislation was introduced to allow local communities to do just that, all the sudden the local politicians fell silent. They refused to endorse or push the legislation. And last week, they sued the people of Idaho to overturn their will on term limits.
Let the people decide? Ha! These politicians want anything but that! Let the people beware.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.