Propositions such as in California should not be allowed.

[LiberalFighter]

Why?

It becomes the will of the majority regardless of what happens to minority members.

Our country was created with a constitution intended to protect their citizens. All of their citizens. The Bill of Rights described the rights we have. Not the rights we don't get. Except for the 18th Amendment which prohibited alcohol every Amendment has been a right that was established. The Supreme Court should had struck down that Amendment and state that it was best left to the Congress to determine the laws regarding alcohol.

If Propositions continue to be used to subvert the will of the state legislators then what is the use of them? The point of state legislators is to debate the issues and determine whether worthwhile enough to pass the legislation. The problem with Propositions is that the voters don't necessarily know the issues pertaining to a Proposition except what is provided by biased media and information by groups supporting or not supporting it.

[xchrom]

1. direct democracy = mob rule. nt

[FrenchieCat]

2. Agreed! I never understood why this is allowed!

If their would have been a proposition to intergrate schools back in the days, intergration would have never happened. I call it pathetic voting majority rule on matters they have no business voting on! :mad:

[slackmaster]

3. You have one thing fundamentally and completely wrong here

Except for the 18th Amendment which prohibited alcohol every Amendment has been a right that was established.

No amendment ever established a right. Some of them recognize certain rights as special. Some have restored rights that were previously infringed. Generally they limit what government can do. The 18th and 22nd limit (or limited) what individuals can do.

All rights exist except those that have been restricted by due process. Laws generally restrict rights. They can protect rights but cannot create a new one.

[Odin2005]

4. Hamilton to Jefferson: "Your people, sir, are a great beast".

The ideal of Populism is dead. The "direct will of the people" is really the will of special interests with enough money to spew propaganda to manipulate the sheepish mob.

[demo dutch]

5. It's really time to change the initiative system in CA. It should never have gone on the ballot, and

had it stayed in the courts CA would have been ok. It's only a matter of time before a case about gay marriage/or related issues works it's way to the supreme court,and it will be interesting to see if they'll take it since marriage is within states rights or whether it will become a civil rights issue.

[question everything]

6. It could be simpler: amending a Constitution should require

a 2/3 vote, not a simple majority. After all, we need more than a simple majority to amend the Federal Constitution, so the same should hold for the States.