The core idea behind the institutions of representative government — state legislatures, city councils, Congress — is that lawmakers, sometimes referred to as “representatives,” should endeavor to implement “the will of the people.”
Right? Stop laughing.
To be such a ‘servant of the people’ necessarily entails knowing the public’s preferences.
Hmmm. How to find out what people want? Or don’t?
“Dear Fellow Peasant,” by Paul Jacob, Townhall.com, March 17, 2019
Click on over to Townhall to read the whole column, with information on initiative and referendum controversies in North Dakota, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington State.
- “Don’t weaken voters’ use of initiatives,” Bismarck Tribune, March 10, 2019
- “These ND legislators don’t trust voters. Don’t let them succeed,” Forum Editorial Board, Fargo Forum, January 6, 2019
- “North Dakota Measure 1, Ethics Commission, Foreign Political Contribution Ban, and Conflicts of Interest Initiative (2018),” Ballotpedia.org
- “Opponents of ND constitutional amendment proposal lambaste ‘arrogant’ attempt to shift power,” John Hageman, Grand Forks Herald, January 10, 2019
- “House Republicans pass bill making it harder to get proposals on ballot,” Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press, December 13, 2018
- “Arkansas House, Senate pass ballot initiative bills,” Hannah Grabenstein, Ozark Radio News, February 26, 2019
- “Legislation Aims to Make Petition Process More Difficult,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- “James Madison on the only legitimate fountain of power,” CQ Livingston, American Conservative Movement, March 7, 2019
- “Reservation of power to enact and reject laws,” Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 49, November 14, 2016
- “Is it time to drive a stake through the heart of Idaho’s initiative process?” Jim Jones, Idaho State Journal, March 9, 2019
- “Senate State Government, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee,” TVW, February 1, 2019