SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
October 11, 2018
Sullivan’s Salvos 10/16/18
In this edition:
*RIP Bill Rockafellow
*Too Much Democracy? Part One
*Too Much Democracy? Part Two
*Kaufmann Update
*Did You Know?
*RIP Bill Rockafellow
I was saddened to hear about the passing of Bill Rockafellow. Rock was a longtime Sheriff’s Deputy and a mainstay of the Johnson County Ag Association, which is our local Fair Board. He was a really good guy, and he will be missed. RIP, Rock.
*Too Much Democracy? Part One
Let’s put this out on the table right away – the United States of America is not technically a Democracy. We live in a Democratic Republic; you elect people to vote on your behalf.
Ancient Greeks experimented with pure democracy, and understandably found it unworkable. Citizens simply cannot vote on hiring each Sheriff’s Deputy, buying each ream of paper, and approving every road project. It is too much. The Democratic Republic attempts to balance this.
Does it work? No, not very well. But as Winston Churchill once said, “No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
I am generally a fan of more democracy, not less. I think voting is important, and should be a universal human right. I like the idea of some type of limited referendum, because I believe voters are typically ahead of those that represent them.
On the other hand, many feel that the Brexit vote of June 2016 is a perfect example of “too much democracy.” In this case, a tiny majority of British voters made the monumental decision to leave the European Union (EU). Afterwards, the top Google Search in Great Britain was, “What is the EU?” Almost every economist, military leader, and other expert felt leaving the EU was a terrible idea. This is often held up as an example of “too much democracy.”
So when does the referendum process turn into “too much democracy”? The California Ballot Proposition process is an interesting case study. Voters in CA can vote on almost anything by getting signatures from just 5% of the people who voted in the last Gubernatorial election. Just 8% can force a vote on a Constitutional Amendment!
This has had mixed results. In some cases, CA voters have passed laws that are contradictory. The now-legendary Proposition 13 that capped property taxes was followed by Prop 98, which guarantees school funding. The two conflicting laws literally left some school boards unable to do their jobs.
In addition, the Ballot Proposition is a prime avenue for big money special interests to do an end run around the voters. California is geographically huge, and by far our most populous state. It requires tremendous resources to reach all the voters. Moneyed interests have a huge advantage.
Personally, I like the idea of a more limited form of referendum. Voters really are often far ahead of their elected officials – just look at same sex marriage and legalized pot. The people need some ability to force their will on politicians who refuse to listen.
On the other hand, caveat emptor! I think amending the Constitution should be a high bar. And referenda on taxation simply do not work.
So – give me some limited ways for voters to enact referenda. Do it at the city, county, and state levels. And let’s give the people a little more democracy!
*Too Much Democracy? Part Two
There is another take on the idea of “too much democracy” that deserves some discussion. What is the proper number of political subdivisions?
Back in the mid-90s, a Swisher-area developer kept getting turned down by Johnson County. So he tried to incorporate a new city where he could do what he wanted. The State shot this down, but it does lead to questions – do we have too many political subdivisions? Under what circumstances can you justify a new one?
Internationally, it is not unusual for new countries to be created in the wake of a conflict. We typically accept this as people exercising their right to self-determination.
But there was a recent proposal to split California into three separate states. It was summarily squashed. Why? What is the difference? (Not that I support it; I simply never saw very good arguments from the anti-side.)
On the municipal side, it can really get hairy. Saint Louis County, Missouri is 523 square miles. Johnson County, Iowa is 630 square miles. While Johnson County is home to all or part of 11 municipalities, St. Louis County has 88!
How can you hope to have ANY efficiency at all with 88 municipalities? Each has different rules and regulations; it would be a nightmare! And throughout the country, we see cases of a single uncooperative suburb holding back the progress of whole metro areas. It really is a problem.
Some places have addressed this through a consolidated unified government; examples include San Francisco City/County, California; Miami/Dade County, Florida; Louisville/Jefferson County Kentucky; Nashville/Davidson County, Tennessee; and Indianapolis/Marion County, Indiana. You may recall that Des Moines and Polk County failed twice in attempts at consolidation, in both 1994 and 2004.
Closer to home, I get a lot of questions about University Heights. Some people find it quaint; others see it as ridiculous. While I wouldn’t advocate the creation of another University Heights, I believe any decisions regarding their independence need to be made by the citizens of that city.
Do we need less municipalities? Probably, yes. But this change cannot be forced upon the people – they need to do so thoughtfully and democratically.
*Kaufmann Update
As you may recall, on March 21 I challenged State Representative Bobby Kaufmann to a debate on HF2372. (I texted him the challenge before it appeared in Salvos.)
The bill was later changed, and passed in a different form. But he still supported taking away even more local control. (Not from his Dad, mind you, but from Johnson County.) I still think this is a terrible vote, and an important topic to discuss. I still want the debate.
I have not yet received a response from Representative Kaufmann. I will keep you posted.
Meanwhile, I see that Bobby refuses to debate Jodi Clemens, his opponent in HD73. He even skipped the longstanding forum hosted by the Task Force on Aging. So I guess it is not just me he is afraid of!
Kaufmann is whining about this criticism; he says he had family matters come up. He is begging voters for compassion. Too bad he refuses to show that same compassion for those much more vulnerable than himself.
Shall I say it, or do you want the honors? “Suck it up, Buttercup!”
But let’s talk policy. In a recent Daily Iowan interview, Kaufmann said, “My top priority has always been working across the aisle and being independent-thinking, not just blindly voting with a political party or because a lobbyist says so.”
Really? Then why did you vote to gut collective bargaining, underfund k-12 and the UI, make it harder to vote, make it harder for women to get healthcare, and give huge tax cuts to wealthy corporations? Was that bipartisan? Why were those votes all Republicans for, all Democrats against? Is that the “bipartisanship” you are talking about?
What a load of crap!
*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa has added one new city since 1990 – Maharishi Vedic City in 2001.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:54 AM
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