It’s time to face the fact: We don’t have much say-so in Washington. Take the bailout plan. Please. Though much opposed by the public, politicians insisted on passing something nonetheless. So they did, over outpourings of popular opposition.
And if you think your vote for president will change something, remember: Both major party candidates supported the bailout. And both are heading campaigns run by the same old insiders.
My advice? Get involved closer to home. State and local voters will get the opportunity to make a change this November — not by electing some a politician who will betray them, but by passing or rejecting proposed laws directly.
In Washington State, for example, voters can un-jam traffic with I‑985. The initiative is a common-sense measure requiring that traffic lights be synchronized and a higher percentage of current funding be spent to ease congestion.
In South Dakota, voters can prevent the abuse of public money by passing Initiated Measure 10, which stops government funded associations from using tax dollars to further their own political agenda. The measure is being opposed by — you guessed it — government-funded associations.
North Dakotans get a chance to decide Measure 2, a 15 percent cut in corporate income taxes and a 50 percent cut in the personal income tax.
There are, of course, plenty of measures on the ballot with which I don’t agree. But even then, better the people deciding than career politicians.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.