WILLIAM FRANKLIN
                        “ON CALIFORNIA DREAMING” 

Re [TPJ’s]: "CALIFORNIA DREAMING” - Democrats in California have found a creative way of expressing opposition to Bush’s continued occupation of Iraq – the referendum."  

As I was looking through NC laws and such, I often wondered that the three signal signs of progressivism and explicit trust in the voters were not present. They were: (1) general referendum, (2) right of recall and (3) right of general petition. Now, I may be wrong, but we cannot set up a general referendum from a proposition of group of voters. I may also be wrong, but I am pretty sure we don't have a right of recall for some bozo who is in breach of office. Again, I may be totally wrong, but it seems that the word petition is found once in the NC Constitution and that petitions are accepted for very specific procedures and cases only. Add to that the fact that our process for adding 3rd parties to the ballot is a farce intended to fail efforts to do so, and it says: "We the elites don't trust the voters; all we want is their money (campaign and tax) and their votes."  

So, it is plain THEY don't want to hear from us except as supplicants. Further they don't want inputs from us independent of what they design. And it is danged sure that the corporations that keep such close and continuous watch do not want the popular will (i.e. the mob) to prevail - in anything. In fact, "budiness" will oppose the 2nd Coming on the basis that someone in the proletariat had the idea and vision and put it in a petition that did not originate in the NCCBI (Chamber of Commerce) or some insurance or financial firm.  

Now if we were to get these three essentials for ourselves (don't hold your breath for our electeds to do it), you can be sure the "budiness" types would try to bankroll it, logroll it, scrog it, etc., to make any referendum, recall or petition come out their way (just to show us plebs who is in control). So, what we need to do is prohibit any money or advertising of any type by any corporation or individual with over $500,000 net worth concerning the subject in question, under pain of gibbet and drawing and quartering, followed by the exile of all the children of said felons for life. Sounds fair to me.  

They have not been in the barrel for a long, long, long time - we have. Now sez you, that is horrible class warfare. And Kevin Phillips agrees in "Wealth and Democracy": "We have had class warfare and the wealthy won." I just love that quote from a fellow who was a faithful contortionist for Nixon -- but who matured and is thoughtful and respected analyst and writer. See, there is hope for all. So, let’s hear it for: recall, referendum and general petition - and lowered barriers to qualifying for ballot listings. Hmmmm -- as I remember the Democrats have been in charge for the last century or so, so it is obvious we have to make them, oops I mean "us" look at this. Ain't that a shame - using the name democrat and being against this "All American" stuff?  

Enough to cause a fellow to drink, a number of times.

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