Many new referendums in the States, some attracting a lot of money?

     Many ballot measures  occurred in USA recently.  But, does spending money on them  buy success?   The Economist magazine in its Nov. 15 edition recounts the results in over a dozen recent campaigns in the States. In Colorado, a campaign to replace that state's flat income tax, with a"tiered" system, to try to raise  a lot of money for education purposes, apparently attracted over $10 million in support, some 300 times that spent by the other side, - but won over only a third of the voters.
     At a  suburb of Seattle, voters approved a $15.00 per hour minimum wage, and a similar vote succeeded in New Jersey. Bans on fracking were passed in 3 cities in Colorado and one in Ohio; but others turned down such proposals. Cincinnati turned down an initiative to replace city workers' defined-benefit pensions. In Colorado, having voted in favour of legalizing marijuana two years ago, the voters voted to tax sales of it. Similar marijuana favoured laws were passed in Maine and three cities in Michigan; and though  7 casinos were approved in New York State, two such proposals flopped in Massachusetts; while those in favour of weak beer cheered a result in Utah, where voters approved the sale of drinks there containing no more than 3.2% of alcohol.
     Such a lot of citizen-voting on issues in the U.S. states. And in our provinces? Do we citizens  have any real  say in anything?
   

   

Should "genetically modified" be on food labels, where it occurs?

      Genetically modified foods; should that feature be delineated upon labels, where such occurs? That question was defeated in a recent referendum in California; but it is being tested again now in Washington State. There, a rather heated "battle is being waged, with the Economist magazine of Nov. 8, stating that it is the second most expensive campaign in state history. The median contribution to the "yes" side is just $25,  but its ads are just as slick as the other side, the magazine says.
     The suggestion is that if such referendum is passed in Washington, other states will want to adopt similar laws - which would cause the federal government to become involved, to overcome the patchwork of rules which otherwise would occur. There certainly are different views about this question - but one will just have to wait  to see what democratic decision prevails; - a proper way to determine appropriate directions, it seems, to this writer.

Direct Democracy - in Poland, and in Texas

         Direct democracy in Poland? Yes, even there, now!

         Just recently campaigners submitted 232,000 signatures to the electoral commission for verification,  almost double the number necessary, to require a vote upon whether to recall Warsaw’s mayor. This was according to a recent  Economist Magazine story about Poland’s governance.

         Now would not that be the sort of thing to overcome the mayoral debacle going on in Toronto? Am not personally anxious to include the right of recall within a Direct Democracy law – but one can see that it can be useful; (even in California they have it – when it recalled their governor Brown and then replaced him with that movie star – Swartzeneger.).

         But in Poland? And we cannot even vote for any issue here in Ontario, much less recalling a punchy mayor.

         And as to full-time kindergarten, another big issue in Ontario,  well, in San Antonio, Texas they had that issue there recently, according to  the Economist.  And so an idea to pay for such through a sales-tax for pre- K plan was put to a city-wide vote. It passed. It illustrated pretty well just what the citizens there thought was wise – to get kids into school while they are – young – but that the citizens must provide taxes to pay for it!    Instead, here in Ontario we are just going millions more in debt to pay for something  we had no say in at all.

         Even with a city in Texas, they have “direct democracy”.

         When will we in Ontario, permit our citizens to actually have a say in the things  in  which we want to have a real influence?

          

Ireland votes via a referendum to maintain a senate.

     Talk about the Canadian senate; the people in Ireland clearly want to keep theirs. Just this past week they voted in large numbers in a referendum - to keep it. This was despite the governing party strongly supporting its abolition. Although a deep disappointment to the leaders in Ireland, the people have "spoken" and the government has agreed to follow their wishes. It will be overhauled , it seems, to improve its methods. But, it will be kept as a sort of watchdog over the moves of whatever government is in power.
     Such is the power and influence of a referendum; the voice of democracy - the power of the people; - as it should be.
     Just why cannot our people require a better form of participation - to vote in referendums? When will a party as part of its policy include the right of our people - under important, constraints, to vote on issues? It is being done in more and  more parts of the world. And, it  could certainly reduce  the wild, and increasingly disrupting  demonstrations that some people feel  are the only way to obtain a voice in what is going on.
     Congratulations Ireland! Your voice has been heard - and listened to, without requiring a new election, or any  disruption in the way the country is governed. Real democracy - it works!