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Tyranny of the Majority: David Bates v. James Madison

by: Dean Barker

Mon Jan 18, 2010 at 16:14:29 PM EST
Do NOT call it an anti-gay, thinly disguised 2010 GOTV operation.  It's Democracy Enhancement!
[Rep. David] Bates, the legislator behind the drive, insisted the petitions should be characterized not as "an anti-gay movement" but as a mechanism to enhance democracy by making sure legislators are representing their constituents.

...He challenged any legislator who would not support approving the amendment so it could be voted in "as much as possible, a statewide referendum."

"Rather than representing the people, they're attempting to thwart the will of the people," Bates said. "They are in fact choosing tyranny rather than democracy."

In other news, founders like James Madison, awash in Classical learning, consciously emulated the representative democracy of the Roman Republic over the radical democracy of Athens in their great experiment.
Dean Barker :: Tyranny of the Majority: David Bates v. James Madison
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Tyranny of the Majority: David Bates v. James Madison | 10 comments
We have a representative system because it's more (4.00 / 1)
efficient.  Of course, people who don't want to do anything aren't interested in efficiency.
But, if people who apply to be legislators and representatives don't want to work, then they should take their slothful ways elsewhere.

We have more than enough middlemen, who provide no added value, in insurance and banking.  We don't need them in the legislature or other government agencies for sure.

David Bates is not lazy (0.00 / 0)
One thing David isn't is this: he's not lazy.  

I am troubled by his latest crusade.  I am not sure what got into him.  I know he's very conservative, but there are more pressing issues before the state.

I love how the rightwingers gripe about us liberal spending too much time on certain bills which take a lot of time because the rightwingers engage in stalling tactics.  The full house spent almost a whole day on HB415 last year simply because the right  called for something like 31 roll calls on it.  It was a simple (and very good) bill which to no one's shock died an ugly death in the Senate: the House could have handled it in about 10 minutes in committee executive session and 10 minutes in the full house.  

During the public hearings on these "gay" bills, the House Republicans tend to ask tons of pointless questions and to invite many witnesses who have nothing relevant to say.  (The Senate Republicans were much more expeditious: one of the 2 Republicans said nothing at all during the whole hearing process for HB415, for example.)

[ Parent ]
I suppose that obstruction qualifies as action on one level. (0.00 / 0)
Dithering, too, is not slothfull like a slug.  Also, if you equate lazy with "leisure," rather than indolence, then the expression of that attribute may just be an example of people doing their own thing and not doing what someone else wants.  Which is also not an appropriate attitude in someone who's signed on to be an agent--i.e. someone who carries out what someone else directs.
Anyway, in this case, the Constitution directs that the agents of government are to provide services; not deprive persons of rights.  Deprivation is only justified as a consequence of crime.  While it is true that certain non-injurious personal interactions were at one time defined as insults to society--i.e. crimes--that was determined to be an inappropriate intrusion and deprivation of the right to privacy.  So, there's no justification for depriving mature persons of the right to register their marital commitment.  
That the state associates the distribution of certain benefits with the registration is another matter.  Though it does signify a social determination that individuals pledging mutual support is a positive act and worthy of rewards.
[ Parent ]
I've attended (4.00 / 1)
many hearings in the last decade on the topic of marriage equality. "The people" were often referenced by the opposition, but the vast silent majority who were dead set against gays having the right to marry were not present at these hearings. Oh, some were - but not in the kind of numbers that folks like Itse and now Bates like to try to invoke.

Of course Rep. Bates doesn't want to be called anti-gay, any more than he wants to be called "from Massachusetts" a fact notably missing from his blue book bio.  

If representative democracy is tyranny, (4.00 / 2)
Then America is not and has never been a free country.  That's not a very patriotic thing to imply.

--
Hope > Anarch-tea
Twitter: @DougLindner
If I'm not mistaken (4.00 / 1)
we tell our elected officials every 2-6 years if they represent our values or not.

But, yes, Bates couldn't possibly have any other motivation for this nonsense than to ensure the voice of the people is heard ... since all the elected officials were ... um, well, you know.

"... the milkman left me a note yesterday: Get out of this town by noon, you're coming on way too soon, and besides that we never liked you any way." -- John Prine  

I shudder to think... (4.00 / 5)
...what would happen to the Bill of Rights if each was put to a popular vote today....
They were never put to a popular vote. (0.00 / 0)
They were proposed by the 1st Congress and ratified by the state legislatures.

So...freedom = tyranny?

--
Hope > Anarch-tea
Twitter: @DougLindner

[ Parent ]
The Bill of Rights is misnamed. What it actually is is (0.00 / 0)
an enumeration of specific actions which the agents of government are prohibited from engaging in.  As such, it is inconsistent with the rest of the document which is focused on giving positive directions--i.e. what the agents of government may and must do to provide for the general welfare.
That many of the people selected and elected prefer to issue prohibitions to the people, rather than carrying out their obligations, is an unfortunate consequence of human nature and our failure to properly vet the candidates.
If we elect people who promise to deprive other persons of their property and rights, then that's what we can expect them to do.  If the people we elect promise that social benefits need to be deserved (earned) by the recipients, rather than equitably provided as entitlements, then we can expect our public assets to be doled out to their favorites.
[ Parent ]
That's a very narrow--and conservative--interpretation. (0.00 / 0)
Government is not the only potential source of encroachment upon our rights.  If you think it is, you should join the Libertarian Party.

--
Hope > Anarch-tea
Twitter: @DougLindner
[ Parent ]
Tyranny of the Majority: David Bates v. James Madison | 10 comments

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