ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES and REBUTTALS:
1. The real and only solution is to vote out the incumbents.
This is partially correct. We need to vote out the legislators
who are "too busy" to do their actual jobs. Part of
this campaign, in a non-partisan way, covers that. Additionally,
let's say that a miracle occurs and a majority of the incumbents
are replaced with fresh faces. What is to prevent these new people
from beginning where the replaced legislators left off? What is
to prevent them from being so easily corrupted? What is to prevent
them from continuing "business as usual," being guided
by the senior legislators who show the new legislators how "things
really work"? It is this initiative that helps turn this
around.
2. It will slow down the legislature.
This is incorrect. Legislators have full control over their legislative
procedures. If our legislature is bound and determined to pass
400 or more bills a year, they will still be able to do it. They
simply have to plan their time better. This bill makes it possible
for the legislature to be more deliberative in their passing of
laws.
3. There is no need to read the bills. That's what expert
legislative analysts, consultants and staff are for.
People we didn't vote for, who could be fresh out of college or
even a lobbyist, should not be deciding our future. It is the
elected official who should be dotting the I's and crossing the
T's, not a consultant or aide. There is no objection to staff
making the first pass through a bill for the legislator, but the
buck stops with the elected official, not some nameless assistant
or self-serving special interest person.
4. Legislators don't have time to read a bill that they are
planning to vote in favor of.
Of course our legislators don't have time to read the bills. What
with solitaire,
text messaging, baseball scores to keep up with, all the political
party meetings, media interviews, meetings with lobbyists and
campaign contributors on our dime, wheeling and dealing on special
interest laws, and gladhanding with other politicos, there's no
way they have time to do their actual jobs. Our legislators are
not required to work a full year, despite getting paid very well
for their work. They have the time to do their jobs.
5. The bills are too complex for legislators to understand
them, thus they don't need to waste their time reading them.
If the bills are too complex for legislators to understand them,
how do they expect the average person to understand and follow
them? The only people who will be sure to follow them are the
special interests who can use these laws for their profit.
6. A direct quote from a former legislator: "On nights
when hundreds of bills are flying through, no one could sign that
in good faith."
That isn't the only quote. There are others similar in nature.
The point is, if there truly are hundreds of bills flying around
to be voted on in a single or several nights, and our legislators
aren't performing a personal due diligence, that is terrifying.
It is no wonder so many of our states and our nation are in trouble.
Fortunately, this initiative will solve that problem.
7. This is an unenforceable law.
No law is "enforceable." You pass a law that you can't go around
robbing houses. How can you enforce that? How can you stop it
in advance? The bottom line is that the majority of people try
to follow the law. Some never will. But if the law isn't there,
then we are really rolling the dice.
Politicians who have no conscience and who have no problem perjuring
themselves will continue to do so, until one of them gets caught
and gets removed from office. No one will want to get caught,
so even the criminals will be more careful. The honest, decent
legislators will not perjure themselves and will follow the mandate
of the people, thus almost instantly improving the quality of
legislation.
ADVANTAGES:
1. Legislators, who are honestly trying to do a good job, will
have a means by which to defend themselves against political pressures.
2. The number of special interests reaping benefits, on our dime,
will be reduced.
3. Bills will be shorter, less convoluted and easier to understand.
4. Common sense laws will have a better chance of getting passed.
5. We'll get more laws designed for us, rather than special interest
groups.
6. More legislators will do their "actual" jobs, rather than
all of the glad-handing and other things which they think is their
job and which in actual fact, never was.
7. Today's state legislators are tomorrow's Congress Members.
By instilling the proper work ethic early on, tomorrow's Congress
will be able to correct the errors being made by today's Congress.
8. Let's say that at first this initiative only affects 10%-20%
of our legislators (the newly elected legislators and the decent
ones who came into office to make a difference). Because of partisanship
and majority vote, we have changed the legislature. Silly laws
won't so easily get passed when you have 5%-10% in both parties
who, with this new law, have a way to stand up to special interests
and political pressures.
THEORETICALLY:
Consider this analogy as a possibility: Take 120 children and
never teach them anything about honesty, honor, integrity, courteousness
and giving to others. Raise them that way. Then take another 120
children and do teach them these virtues. Which group does our
civilization have a better chance with?
Or perhaps a better example would be if you used this same analogy
but applied it to soldiers. Which ones will be worthy of the name
"soldier"?
If we don't in plain English tell politicians what is expected
of them, how do we expect them to do a good job or represent us?
JOINING THE TEAM:
There are some easy things you can do
to help out at the comfort of your own home and even doing
some of the things you are already doing.
Your help to get this initiative on the ballot and get it passed,
is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Jerrol LeBaron
Executive Director
Honor In Office
