It was clear that many members of the Utah Legislature were unhappy when a group of citizens filed a petition to overturn an unpopular voucher law last year.
They were even more unhappy when, against all odds, that citizens’ group collected more than enough signatures to place the issue on the ballot.
They were even MORE unhappy when the Utah Supreme Court halted their attempts to circumvent the referendum process and implement the program before a vote could be taken.
Can you imagine how unhappy they were when voters soundly defeated the proposal at the polls last November with a 62%-38% margin statewide and a majority in every county in the state?
Were they angry enough to teach voters a lesson?
Today’s Deseret News reports that legislative leaders would like to make it even more difficult to place a referendum on the ballot. If they make the process difficult enough, they may be able to prevent any more messy direct votes on important issues in the future.
Despite how unpleasant it is for the powers that be, the founders of our state recognized that a direct vote of the people can provide an important check on the power of the legislature and a reminder to politicians about who they are supposed to represent. That’s why the Utah State Constitution specifically provides for the referendum and initiative process, placing the legislative power jointly on the legislature and “the legal voters of Utah.” Legislators would do well to protect our constitutional rights rather than try to undermine them.
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7 comments:
I was hoping for more than just the tired old complaints about vouchers, not being able to participate in parades, the legislature being mean, Greg Hughes not having a college degree,...
Vouchers are dead. They're not coming back in your political lifetime. Utah will be one of the last states to implement vouchers. OK, can we move on to other topics?
How about giving us some real stuff? Like what you plan on doing about transportation, education (there's more to education than just spending more money), crime, the environment, guns, taxes (there's more to tax policy than just opposing tax cuts), health care, etc. You know, stuff that matters.
To make things interesting, why don't you tell us if you would support repealing the tax cuts of the past couple of years that you opposed?
Does your experience with Utahns for the UEA (ooops, I mean, Utahns for Public Schools) count as community organizing?
You should play this community organizer card just like your party's presidential candidate.
I'm new to this blog, and I'm just now researching candidates, but I'm grateful that someone is out there representing the voice of the majority. We need folks that understand that our public schools must be strong for the future of our communities to be bright. As a parent, I laud your efforts. Some of the comments here seem fraught with cynicism. I guess I'll just add my vote of appreciation. Thank you for stepping up to the loud voices that don't represent the bulk of the Utah citizens. You're brave. I respect that.
I can understand somebody saying vouchers are dead, lets move on, but I am perplexed by how people can miss the point that many of our current elected officials not only ignored the will of the people but is now trying to make it harder for us to overrule their bad decisions.
Thanks Lisa for working so hard.
Lisa-
I applaud you for your blog. It is good to see candidates and officeholders engaging online. Greg Hughes has done a great job of this on the Draper City groups online.
I must say, though, that this post you made needs to come down. Fact is, Bob Bernick made this story up based upon a meeting he did not even attend. Careful reading of the story, and the follow up, show that Bernick had no basis for his headline. Take a look at Rep. Urquhart's great updates on this issue at his blog: http://steveu.com/blog/2008/08/deseret-news-fabricates-more-news.html#comments That's just one of the many posts on the subject. I've also called for Bernick's firing on my blog for his outright misrepresentation. Fact is, the legislature is not considering another voucher attempt.
It's not your fault that Bob Bernick fabricated this story. But in fairness, certainly it would be wise to take down the post which potentially misleads your readers/supporters to believe something that simply is not true.
Exonerated!
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