Posted on 07/02/2008 7:58:50 AM PDT by SmithL
Californians will get a chance to make history this November, an opportunity to seize control of their government from the politicians, handlers and consultants who have rigged the game to serve their own interests.
Proposition 11 would take from the Legislature its power to draw political boundaries and give that job to an independent bipartisan commission that would operate under strict guidelines designed to ensure fairness for all parties and protect the rights of minorities.
The process now allows the politicians to choose their voters by drawing district lines almost guaranteed to preserve the jobs of incumbents and freeze in place the partisan breakdown in the Legislature. Under Proposition 11, the voters would choose the politicians, which is the way a representative democracy is supposed to work.
But there's one big problem. The insiders in the California Democratic Party oppose the measure, even though some prominent and respected Democrats are working for its passage. And if the party or its leaders raise and spend millions of dollars to confuse the issue, voters will almost certainly reject the reform, dooming the state to another decade of bitterly polarized politics.
Already, opponents have formed a committee to begin raising money to fight the initiative and have set up a Web site laying out the first arguments against the measure.
Those arguments are misleading at best, if not outright lies. But voters will be bombarded by them this fall as desperate politicians do whatever it takes to maintain their grip on power. They will claim that black is white, night is day and the sun rises in the West if they think it will help them kill this measure.
The half-truths start with the committee's name – Citizens for Accountability.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
This article will be emailed to all those I know in California.
So which one is it, fairness or racist jerrymandering?
Am I the only person who sees absolutely nothing wrong with partisan gerrymandering? If this whole “competitive district” BS was put into force in red states, we’d lose even more seats.
Doesn’t matter which way it goes, it will be just a corrupt as it is now.
“independent bipartisan commission”
No such thing.
Would the commission be appointed by Arnie? Villarosa?
4 marxists and 4 Rinos on it?
voted not appointed, I mean.
In californicate, we know what the result would be.
an independent unelected bipartisan commission
Ping for later
If its bipartisan its not “independent”. Its still controlled by the two problem parties and they will make sure that any indepedents are unable to possibly profit from this.
See? You certainly can't expect Mrs. Weintraub's little boy, MSM columnist Danny Weintraub to tell the truth, did you? (snort!)
I'd call it compound dis-information to the max!!!
If we'd just simply go back to the original method prior to the infamous "Cows Don't Vote" by the Earl Warren SCOTUS, this problem would at least go away in the state senate!!!
Return to one county, one state senator!!! Stop Rural Cleansing by Metro-Sexuals!!!
Here's another classic example of "change" that leftists cried out for that certainly hasn't helped a danged thing!!!
I'll believe he's honest when he admits it that he should have endorsed McClintock.
There is no such thing.
Handing the job over to a bunch of specially selected folks who can operate behind closed doors is no solution. Just firm up the language for determining districts and let the computer algorithms handle the job.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.