Lars Larson on Fixing the Initiative System

Going all the way back to the 1970’s when I began as a radio reporter it’s been a tradition in Oregon to have a citizen’s initiative””to be able to go to the polls and change your Constitution or change the state’s laws.

There’s nothing wrong with it, yet those in government get very irritated by it. For twenty years Oregonians tried to change their tax system starting with initiatives in the 70’s and finally succeeded with Ballot Measure 5. Boy, did that set the government world on fire. They didn’t like at all that citizens had the temerity to change the laws that the Legislature and the Governor would not fix.

Now, Oregon’s Secretary of State, Kate Brown, says we have to fix the initiative system, making it even harder to put things on the ballot, cuz you know, if they are allowed to do it, Oregon citizen’s will actually go out there and change their own laws. They’ll reverse what the legislature and powers-that-be, like hers, do.

I tell you we need the initiative, and it does not need fixing.

“For more Lars click here”

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