Ray Ring’s “Taking Liberties” shows how easily the initiative process can lead to unintended and unpleasant consequences (HCN, 7/24/06: Taking Liberties). Most people rarely take the time to fully inform themselves on the issues they’re voting on. It reminds me of something the journalist H.L. Mencken said almost a hundred years ago: “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” I hope that the opposition can get the word out successfully on how ordinary people will be screwed by big money interests in any state that passes one of these.
Michael Adams
Lafayette, Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Uninformed voters create unintended consequences.
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