Comments on: Why Super Majority Vote Is Fair

By: joe Moran

joe Moran — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 22:11:10 +0000

The 2/3’s majority vote is one of our most valuable American traditions because it gives those who TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT TO VOTE ALL THE TIME the maximum leverage over the ballot box. As the guardian points out the politicians have made it almost impossible to repeal, revoke or recall politicians or their financial boondoggles by insisting that the ” registered voter” number be the key , a very un-American gerrymandering of our political system.

What it comes down to is..The voter is supposed to be the King in our system, not the number of registered voters and certainly not the DIMWITS ( THANKS Sam!) that we have let become our lifetime political non-representatives!

By: sam the sham

sam the sham — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 02:23:35 +0000

Well, I am a liberal (actually I am a radical).
I’d like to see a good community college in the area.
I voted no. Why? Because there is no plan of action presented to vote on. I did not want to hand out a blank check for something which has no public plans and I just don’t trust handing out my hard earned money to the dimwits (all parties included) who hold public office. NO to the way it is being done. That’s all.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 31 May 2007 16:32:35 +0000

Regarding your editor’s note: Does WHAT mean I support a super majority?

Before being certain that most bonds passed that were presented in the recent election cycle (thus supporting your contention that it’s easy to do so with the 2/3rds requirement in place), I just wanted the Guardian to confirm the accuracy of its statement that MOST bonds in the state did indeed pass by clarifying where BG got its statistical information. I just simply need more information before being able to answer your additional question about where I ought to stand on this issue.

By: Voter

Voter — Thu, 31 May 2007 05:56:36 +0000

The 2/3 requirement is the smartest thing the founding fathers ever did – – please do not change it!!

By: James Bond

James Bond — Wed, 30 May 2007 19:06:28 +0000

Here’s my somewhat muddled take:

1. I voted for the Community College. The Treasure Valley is radically underserved educationally in so many ways. It’s just too big and growing too much for us to turn this kind of request/proposal down, in my view.

2. I do not like the property tax funding mechanism at all. Community colleges should be funded via the state general fund, which can collect revenue the way it chooses–sales, income or a state property tax.

3. Idaho’s higher education system is structurally screwed up. There should not be two 4-year schools in the Palouse. That’s nuts, and the politicians who allowed and still allow that to happen are stupid for doing so. The Treasure Valley’s needs are huge. It’s time for a fundamental shift of dollars, programs and resources from Moscow to Boise–we’re in the 21st century, not the 19th century.

4. The University of (Northern) Idaho should begin shifting massive resources into Kootenai County, where the greatest needs are located. Further money should not wasted on Moscow infrastructure.

5. The people who bellyache about this election are acting like sore losers. The people/companies who campaigned for it exercised their constitutional and statutory rights and they did so, apparently, without any violations. These exotic arguments about property rights, percentages of registered voters, etc., are perhaps emotionally satisfying, but they amount to nothing more than sitting around a bar table, drinking beer, and griping about things. If you don’t like what happened, make sure you always vote and participate as much as possible in the campaign.

6. The Legislature should further consolidate elections in Idaho to a finite number of days, like maybe 3 or 4 days per year. If it was consolidated enough, I’d be amenable to reducing the current supermajority down a bit.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:09:12 +0000

Just curious to know how you concluded that MOST (your emphasis) of the bonds in the state passed by the 2/3rds majority as you indicated in the opening paragraphy of your piece supporting the super majority vote. I’m aware of the mosquito abatement vote, the community college vote, the Sun Valley sewer vote, and the Jerome schools vote having passed. On the other hand, the sewer vote in Emmett failed, and the Meridian library vote failed, as did school bonds in Wendell, Kimberly and Shoshone. (I suspect the percentages weren’t any better in northern Idaho judging from their furor over property tax problems, but couldn’t locate any numbers). Just for the sake of accuracy, where did you get your statistics that showed that “most” bonds passed during this most recent election cycle as the Guardian indicated?

EDITOR NOTE–Does this mean you support the super majority?