Keeping the citizenry out

In Nevada we have a law called "The Single Subject Rule". Is says that a petition to place a voter initiative onto the ballot must deal with only one subject. Ok, sounds reasonable. The problem is, the law was written so narrowly in scope that if an initiative draft is written logically, for example, citing a law and including the peanalties for breaking that law, the authors of the Single Subject Rule( and their sycophant judges) content that initiative violates the rule. The Secretary of State has weighed in on the side of keeping the citzenry out of the process by further tightening the restrictions so that, in essence, no petition will ever pass muster.

This is merely one example of an ever growing trend to seperate the lawmakers from those they effect. It is now illegal to write in your own choice of candidate for any national election, and for most statewide elections. The parties choose the candidates for you, and if, based on what happened in my state, too many delegates disagree with the party leadership, the convention is shut down before a final vote can be taken. Judges are now refusing testimony, or even the citing of statutes they disagree with. Committees are refusing to allow contrasting voices to be heard, and in some cases having citizens arrested for standing up for their rights. In one eggregious case a teacher was fired for teaching his students about the US Constitution.

If anyone remembers to old Jimmy Stewart movie, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, or the book by New York detective Frank Serpico, these stories detailed the type of pressure the forces of corruption will put onto the honest remnant in their midst. Hollywood and publishing aside, that pressure is a reality. I face it nearly every day during session, and the more I refuse to bend, the more political enemies I create. Politics hates honesty. It cannot trust an honest man or woman, and right now, the citizens of this country are playing right into the hands of the corrupt.

Consider this; every time you refuse to vote, you are giving up your right to complain. Every time you vote without at least checking on the record of your choice, you are gambling with your future. Today the average percentage of registered voters actually excercising ther right is 15%. If we could even get that percent up to one forth of voters, this country would change course dramatically, because far more people want honest government than don't. They just don't vote. If the trend continues they won't have to worry about excercising that right. It will have been taken away.