On Nov. 15, 1777, the Continental Congress, meeting in York, Pennsylvania, approved the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. It wasn’t until March 1, 1781, that the last of the 13 new states, Maryland, ratified the agreement.
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
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Walesa Released
On Nov. 14, 1982, Lech Walesa, leader of Poland’s outlawed Solidarity movement, was released by authorities after being imprisoned for 11 months. Returning to his home in Gdansk, a large crowd of jubilant supporters lifted Walesa onto their shoulders.
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Samuel Adams
“If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.”
“There’s no such thing as too much power.”
That’s the word from Democrat Herb Wesson, former Speaker of the California Assembly. Wesson was defending the Speaker’s awesome control over the purse strings.
In a story headlined, “The power of one: Perez controls Assembly with money,” the Sacramento Bee reports: “Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez single-handedly doles out millions in public funds each year to his 80 members: No vote, no committee, no debate.”
The article was vague on details, because the Speaker refused open records requests from the Bee and the Los Angeles Times. In August, the newspapers filed suit to see the legislative records.
Assemblyman Anthony Portantino charges that Speaker Pérez cut his staff as retribution for voting against this year’s state budget — although the state constitution makes it a crime to coerce a member’s vote. Assemblyman Tony Mendoza admitted that his office budget was slashed by $80,000 when the Speaker demoted him from the Rules Committee, but he wouldn’t discuss it with reporters.
Were a special interest group to similarly bribe legislators, Californians would be up in arms. But a politician? We’ll see how this plays out.
“It’s a very difficult house to run,” argues Mr. Wesson, “and you have to have the leverage that the speaker has.” Steve Maviglio, former spokesperson for two Assembly Speakers, echoes that sentiment, claiming that without a healthy bribery power, the legislative chamber would descend into “absolute chaos.”
Extreme. But some “chaos” must be better than the current all-too-orderly system of corruption.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
On Nov. 13, 1775, the U.S. Continental Army under Brigadier General Richard Montgomery captured Montreal, Canada, from the British.
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William Calley and the My Lai Massacre
On Nov. 12, 1969, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh broke news of the My Lai Massacre with a report that “The Army says [Lt. William Calley] deliberately murdered at least 109 Vietnamese civilians.”
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Ammon Hennacy
“I’m not trying to change the world. I’m trying to stop the world from changing me.”
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Video: No Adoring Cheerleaders
Tim Eyman, Washington State’s most creative and dedicated initiative activist, summarizes his approach to politics and governance:
“Consent of the governed” may indicate legitimacy, but “dissent” makes possible efficacy.
Washington State activist Tim Eyman could celebrate election night. Several of his sponsored anti-red-light-camera initiatives won — in Bellingham and Longview and Monroe.
But his statewide initiative seems to be going down.
Eyman has become obsessed with transportation issues, and he’s receiving the usual push-back from insiders and editorialists. The Seattle Times proclaimed his I-1125 “anachronistic,” saying that Eyman
may have something to say about the scope of government. His anti-tax proposals fare well. But voters do not think much of his ideas for moving — or, more precisely, not moving — people around a busy metropolitan region.
A tad disingenuous. Washington’s voters received a barrage of advertising against the measure, but the campaign tended to ignore the measure’s main point, its attempt to strengthen the feedback systems of paying for (and developing) road projects. I-1125 would have kept politicians’ hands out of the road till, forcing them to leave money in road funds put there by fuel taxes and tolls and such.
Despite the negative campaign, on election night the measure was losing so narrowly that many deemed it “too close to call.”
Contrast this with the common anti-initiative complaint, that voting for them is driven by well-funded campaigns that overpower citizens’ reason. Well, Eyman’s initiative campaigns carry mainly on the written measures themselves: His group spends nothing on paid advertising, while his opponents splurge millions.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.