Update on the Initiative Process

The initiative bill Dave Roland commented on several weeks ago has been “perfected” in the House and is nearing passage. Apparently its Senate counterpart is also on the fast track for passage.

Some proponents of direct democracy see the initiative process as an additional check on legislative power. The argument being that if a majority of citizens aren’t happy with the laws their legislature is enacting, they can ban together to pass laws themselves instead — a kind of “citizen’s arrest,” if you will.

I tend to be more cynical and find myself (shockingly) agreeing with Dave Stokes on the topic. The initiative process tends to encourage interest-group politics. If a small group of committed people band together, they can pass some pretty stupid laws. And the current legislation under consideration does nothing to eliminate the initiative process or curtail "democracy."

But maybe democracy’s just a sham, anyway.