Anyone for Democracy? (Zombie Coup derail)

[Hermit]

Colorado followed that wisdom as well, though we set it at 55% for amendments, and increased restrictions on the petition process. This was done through the initiative process, not by the legislature.

Colorado democracy is high country cool, and our rabble learns from it's mistakes.

Onya

Coloradoan rabble needs remedial lessons about the use and abuse of apostrophes, though.

[Tero]

Referendums only work at the state level. US has no national referendum. Amendments are the only thing that work. 3/4 of states have to pass those.

[Joe]

Legislative redistricting is done at the state level, and Presidential elections are managed by the States.

Then there's the political aspect. Has the federal government legalized marijuana? And yet the states putting a lot of pressure on it to do so.



Consider gay marriage. That fight happened at the state level and created a federal issue that drew the Supreme Court in and changed it at the national level.

Also, state legislatures can initiate the constitutional amendment process. They used this to pressure the US Senate into passing the 17th Amendment for the direct election of Senators.

There's more than one way to skin a cat.

[Joe]

Colorado followed that wisdom as well, though we set it at 55% for amendments, and increased restrictions on the petition process. This was done through the initiative process, not by the legislature.

Colorado democracy is high country cool, and our rabble learns from it's mistakes.

Onya

Coloradoan rabble needs remedial lessons about the use and abuse of apostrophes, though.

Grammar sniper!

[laklak]

We got medical through on a constitutional amendment, took a couple of election cycles. Full legalization is following the same course, I expect it by 2024 at the latest. The old motherfuckers in the 55+ retirement communities need to die.

[by "retirement communities" I mean dystopian Old White People nightmares of thousands of near identical zero-lot line homes (Choose From Four Lovely Models!), strip malls, and chain restaurants, full of calcified old racists. Grab your walker and get in the golf cart, Mildred, we're heading to TGI Fridays to party down on 2-for-1 apps and Happy Hour Margaritas! I'll bring an extra colostomy bag, those Jalapeno Poppers run right through me!]

[Joe]

I've seen ads for those. I can't see the attraction.

I like my current neighborhood just fine, though we may have to move if the water runs out.

[laklak]

Yeah I don't get it either. Though the biggest one, The Villages, has the highest STD rate in the state. Probably the country. This is what unrestricted access to Viagra looks like, and it ain't pretty.

We might have to move because we'll have too much water. What a world, eh?

[JimC]

What I find extraordinary about the US political scene is how individual states can decide on how Federal elections can be run. I get that states can decide stuff that pertains to their own state (something similar occurs here), but one would think that there should be universal rules for federal elections.

[Tero]

It had to do with slavery. The electors seemed to hide that the state with its electors was partly based on population. Including 3/5 of slaves.

Our democracy is based on slavery. Clever!

[Svartalf]

Yeah I don't get it either. Though the biggest one, The Villages, has the highest STD rate in the state. Probably the country. This is what unrestricted access to Viagra looks like, and it ain't pretty.

We might have to move because we'll have too much water. What a world, eh?

I guess tip greedy pool boys are more to blame...

[Svartalf]

It had to do with slavery. The electors seemed to hide that the state with its electors was partly based on population. Including 3/5 of slaves.

Our democracy is based on slavery. Clever!

Didn't most of the Virginian founding fathers have some to work thair plantations? even Mt Vernon?

[Tero]

Yes. Jefferson had some black kids.

[laklak]

Yankees didn't think the colored folk deserved counting at all. We had to fight to get the 3/5s deal. And they call us Southerners racist. Sheesh.

[L'Emmerdeur]

[Joe]

What I find extraordinary about the US political scene is how individual states can decide on how Federal elections can be run. I get that states can decide stuff that pertains to their own state (something similar occurs here), but one would think that there should be universal rules for federal elections.

IIRC, under the Articles of Confederation, the States had their own constitutions and widely different qualifications for suffrage. The Framers punted and left it to the States, so we don't have a federal right to vote and 50 different election systems. The problem is that it's hard to take that power now and impose a uniform system without amending the Constitution, which isn't likely since voter suppression is a winning strategy for the GOP these days.