WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE ?
WHAT
CAN WE DO TO HELP MAKE
(November 11, 2006)
With the general election now behind us and the 2007 legislative session to follow in March of 2007, we Alabama voters have an opportunity to make a real difference by applying pressure on Governor Riley, Lieutenant Governor Folsom and our state senator and representative to give us Initiative and Referendum (I&R) during the upcoming session of the Alabama Legislature. We can do this simply by contacting them and telling them that their commitment to giving us I&R is required in order for them to receive any further support from us.
Such
an opportunity will not come again until 2010, and applying pressure now will
contribute to the cause of making
To see how to contact these office holders, click on this link: http://www.doctoriq.com/KeyReps.htm.
Remember
that it’s up to you, me, and our fellow Alabamians to make a difference if we
want to have a better state government that belongs to us and responds to our
needs. When contacting these
officials, if possible, obtain their commitment in writing lest there be any
doubt in the future about what they say.
If
you get their response in writing, such as in an email or a letter that you can
copy into an email, send it to me @ driq@doctoriq.com
so I
can post it on my website where everyone can see it.
Also,
ask every voter you know in
An
article in The
"And
he says he will continue to push for the ballot initiative to give
When there is statewide support for an initiative, he said, citizens should have the option to call for a vote if the Legislature fails to act."
Dan,
an Alabama political blogger on Between the Links @ http://www.betweenthelinks.com/
did a
great job in contacting candidates prior to the elections and asking them for
their commitment to helping make Alabama the 25th Initiative and
Referendum state. You can see his report on that @ http://www.betweenthelinks.com/iandr.
Another
person who contacted some candidates is Harold of the
In
addition, the Democracy Defense League @ http://www.thedemocracydefenseleague.com/,
a
multi-ethnic non-partisan grassroots organization of around 1,700 members in
about 40 counties publicly announced its support for Initiative and Referendum
because it offers the best opportunity for the group to have its legislative
agenda for fighting voter fraud through legal means become law.
I
know of other individuals who contacted candidates, as well. Now that we know
who will be in office it’s up to all of us to contact them and get them on
record as supporters or opponents of Initiative and Referendum for Alabamians so
their constituents can see whether they are trusted by these office holders, or
not. Trust is a two way street that our leaders must be made to walk if they
want our support.
A REVIEW OF HB 325, AN INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
HB 325 was introduced by Representative Mike Ball on January 12, 2006, had its first reading, and was assigned to the Constitution and Elections (C&E) Committee. The bill was co-sponsored by Representatives Galliher, Hill, Hinshaw, Ward, McLaughlin, Schmitz, Garner, Brewbaker, Grimes, Mitchell, Clause, Gaston and Beason.
HB
325 is the same bill that was passed unanimously by the C&E Committee as HB
276 in the 2005 regular session, but too late in the session for it to reach the
floor for open debate. Being approved by a committee was an historic first for
an Initiative and Referendum (I&R) bill in the
In the 2006 legislative session the C&E Committee, even with some members that were not on it in 2005, again unanimously approved the bill on March 2, and soon afterward it was scheduled for debate on the floor of the house on March 15 – an unprecedented event for an I&R bill, and another step forward.
I have been advised that the action of concerned individuals in contacting legislators was instrumental in both the bill being voted out of committee by an earlier date than it was during the 2005 session of the legislature, and for it finally being scheduled for debate on the floor.
According
The
“The bill died after lawmaker after lawmaker stepped up to
question it. Rep. Mike Ball, R-Huntsville, after more than an hour of talk, saw
the handwriting on the wall and withdrew his bill.
The opposition from lawmakers was clear. ‘We have a representative
republic and not a direct democracy,’ said Rep. Robert Bentley, R-Tuscaloosa.
Rep. James Buskey, D-Mobile, said people should run for the
Legislature if they want to pass laws. ‘If people want to legislate, let them
run,’ he said.
Ball said the bill died mainly because powerful lobby groups
comfortable with killing or passing bills at the State House disliked the idea
of letting voters pass laws that lobbyists couldn't kill in the Legislature.
‘I'm going to keep trying,’ he said. ‘It will not pass until the public
demands it.’ Ball said. 25 states have some form of citizens' initiative.”
Take note of three things in this article: (a) the arrogant tone of Representative Buskey’s remark which is typical of numerous legislators; (b) that Representative Ball pointed out what it will take for Alabamians to have I&R – a demand for it by the public; (c) that Ball also pointed out that Initiative and Referendum flies in the face of lobbyists who, with their influence, largely control what happens on Goat Hill for those dreaded “Big Mules” --- the union leaders and special interest groups behind the scenes.
I
suggest that Representative Bentley's constituents remind him that someone
considered important enough to have had his visage placed on Mount Rushmore,
Teddy Roosevelt, had this to say about I&R in 1912, “the initiative and
referendum should be used, not as substitutes for representative government, but
as methods of making such government really representative. Action by the
initiative or referendum ought not to be the normal way of legislation; but the
power to take it should be provided in the constitution, so that if the
representatives fail truly to represent the people on some matter of sufficient
importance to rouse popular interest, then the people shall have in their hands
the facilities to make good the failure.”
What was not reported in either this article or similar ones in The Montgomery Advertiser and The Gadsden Times (the only three newspapers I have seen that bothered to spend any ink on this event) was that Ball succeeded in exposing some suspected opponents when he called for a recorded vote on a Budget Isolation Resolution (BIR). Approval by a 3/5 vote of a BIR is required in order to take a vote on any other bill if both budgets have not already been passed by the legislature.
Likely, Ball knew beforehand from consulting with other members that HB 325 would not be passed, and preferred to withdraw the bill after some debate rather than see it defeated. But before he did, he asked for the BIR vote in order to expose some of the opponents. Below are the names of the 22 members who voted “No”, along with information as to the districts they represent, and their telephone numbers (at that time) at the State House.
According to the recorded vote posted on the
Rep. Locy Baker (D - 85th district/Henry) (334) 242-7693
Rep. Marcel Black (D - 3rd district/Colbert) (334) 242-7667
Rep. George Bandy (D - 83rd district/Lee) (334) 242-7721
Rep. James Buskey (D - 99th district/Mobile) (334) 242-7757
Rep. William Clark (D - 98th district/Mobile) (334) 242-7756
Rep. Linda Coleman (D - 60th district/Jefferson) (334) 242-7684
Rep. Spencer Collier (R - 105th district/Mobile) (334) 242-7719
Rep. Priscilla Dunn (D - 56th district/Jefferson) (334) 242-7702
Rep. Laura Hall (D - 19th district/Madison) (334) 242-7688
Rep. Ralph Howard (D - 72nd district/Hale) (334) 242-7759
Rep. Thomas Jackson (D - 68th district/Choctaw) (334) 242-7738
Rep. Yvonne Kennedy (D - 97th district/Mobile) (334) 242-7737
Rep. Richard Laird (D- 37th district/Chambers) (334) 242-7744
Rep. Richard Lindsey (D - 39th district/Cherokee) (334) 242-7713
Rep. Eric Major (D - 55th district/Jefferson) (334) 242-7725
Rep. Bryant Melton (D - 70th district/Tuscaloosa) (334) 242-7752
Rep. Neal Morrison (D - 12th district/Cullman) (334) 242-7770
Rep. Albert Morton (R - 45th district/St. Clair) (334) 242-7763
Rep. Demetrius Newton (D - 53rd district/Jefferson) (334) 242-766
Rep. James Thomas (D - 69th district/Autauga) (334) 242-7701
Rep. Frank White (D- 66th district/Baldwin) (334) 242-7701
Rep. Jack Williams (R - 47th district/Jefferson) (334) 242-7600
The only reason I can imagine for any
legislator to oppose Initiative and Referendum is either (a) they are beholden
to some special interest group and represent them rather than their
constituents, or (b) they don’t trust the voters they represent enough to give
them a voice, through I&R, in the government they own and pay for. The
constituents of these members who are still in office following our recent
elections should let them know that trust is a two-way street, and since the
legislator doesn’t trust them, the voter can’t trust the legislator either
and that they will influence as many others as possible to no longer support
someone who doesn’t trust them.
Those who “Passed” on the BIR are still in the political closet, but I assume that at least some of them can be considered suspected opponents as well.
Who
would have ever suspected that some members of the legislature might be
two-faced?
This
may expose a few who probably thought that few of their constituents would ever
know how they voted on the BIR. The following members of the C&E Committee,
on a vote more easily accessed (the Constitution and Elections Committee vote),
voted to approve HB 325 (which in their hearts and minds they probably knew
their constituents would want passed) in committee, but either voted “No” or
“Passed” on the BIR:
Bandy
– NO
Melton
– NO
Mitchell
– PASSED
Morrison
- NO
Every other member of the committee, including a new member who was also the newest member of the legislature at that time, Rep. Barry Mask, voted “Yes”.
So,
now we know for a certainty of some legislators who need to be dragged behind
the woodshed by their constituents. In addition, all of those who “Passed”
need to be sternly lectured at the very least, because they seemed to be working
for someone other than those who own our government and pay their salaries.
I
strongly urge those who have been working to bring Initiative and Referendum to
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.......” Hosea 4:6
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