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How Bad It Has Gotten |
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Gregory Morris, 9/29/08 9:44:57 am |
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Florida is constitution-amendment-happy, and it pisses me off.
There were originally 9 amendments under consideration. Three of them have been removed due to legal challenges, but that leaves 6 possible amendments to the state constitution.
This happens nearly every election. And each amendment makes the constitution worse, even if the intention is "good".
Some of the amendments this election seem like good ideas. One of them, for instance, requires that the legislature to lower certain taxes.
Less taxes! That's a good thing, right? Well, why doesn't the legislature just do these things if they are so good? Some people believe that these constitutional amendments should be used to force the legislature to perform the will of the people. Think about that for a second. Doesn't that sound kinda FUCKED UP?
The constitutional amendment process, here in Florida, has run amok. It is being used to side-step the normal legislative process, all in the name of giving "the people" a more direct voice. Why is that a bad thing? To quote one of the greatest movies of all time, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
Floridians will remember nearly 20 years ago when the "handgun waiting period" amendment was on the ballot. This is something that was put there with all good intentions, and voted into place by more than 60% of the citizens of the state. It sounded like a "good idea". But now what you have is a "Declaration of Rights" in the Florida constitution that declares, then immediately encumbers the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Lots of things sound like a good idea, until viewed in retrospect. In the case of constitutional amendments, however, they are nearly impossible to roll back if they end up being a Bad Thing(tm).
So, consider that when you go to vote. For instance, even if you are a homophobic fuckwad believe marriage should be only be between a man and a woman (Amendment 2), consider what it means to actually put that in the state constitution. Does it really serve well you to give the government more power to restrict the freedom of others? |
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