(Direct) Democracy is a Wonderful Thing

Anyone can (try to) write a law in California using the ballot initiative process.  It only costs $200 to start the process rolling.  For that modest sum, you get a ballot title and summary from the state attorney general and a fiscal analysis from the Legislative Analyst’s Office.  Of course, you then have to go out and get the signatures.

The latest direct democracy to rising tuition at UC, CSU, and the community colleges is a ballot initiative submitted March 26 that would freeze tuition at the 2010 level, adjusted for inflation.

However, the initiative fails to mention what index would be used to measure inflation and its author seems to think that California’s fiscal years begin on January 1. (It speaks about the “fiscal year January 2011.”)  The legislature is required to seek “improvements” in the three systems.  A commission is set up to eliminate “redundancies.”  (They all teach chemistry?)  There are various random tax increases included.

As initiative writers soon find out, it actually costs $1-$2 million to get the needed signatures to place an initiative on the ballot.  Despite the brave notion of grass root circulation of petitions, in fact you need commercial signature-gathering firms to do it. And, of course, then you must pay for a TV ad campaign.  So the original amateur hour pretty much stops a the $200 stage.

The initiative described above is at:
http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/initiatives/pdfs/i1059_12-0011_(college_tuition_and_fees).pdf?

California’s direct democracy, which dates back to 1911, is the original amateur hour despite the radio and TV show by that name:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcqgLxC3ZVo&w=320&h=195]