By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial board
Nice to see the cynically named "Civil Rights Initiative" fall short of the petition signature requirements in Missouri.
This was, in my mind, the most offensive of several constitutional amendments being pushed by out-of-state groups. It would have barred schools and employers from giving preference to applicants based on race.
Schools and employers should have the right to determine whether it's in their interests to boost minority representation. If Missourians thought affirmative action was a problem here, proposals to curb it would have bubbled up from the General Assembly or from a grass-roots initiative.
But the petition drive that's been taking place was spearheaded and largely financed by California businessman Ward Connerly. And many of the signature-gatherers are not Missourians upset by affirmative action. They're employees of another creatively named company, National Ballot Access of Georgia.
Another petition drive, to recall the $500 loss limit for gamblers at Missouri casinos, is being coordinated by National Petition Management Inc., a Michigan firm.
A good story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has more details about the business of signature gathering.
Some states have passed laws banning gatherers from being paid by the signature, on the theory that it promotes deceit about the petitions. Rep. Rachel Storch, a St. Louis Democrat, has proposed such a measure for Missouri.
I'm for it. It's good for a state to have a vigorous citizen initiative petition process. But the process is being manipulated in an unhealthy way by monied out-of-state groups and individuals. Some correction wouldn't be a bad thing.
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Racist Democracy Hater
Sorry, but judging someone by the color of their skin is racism, pure and simple regardless of any past racism. And I don't know about you but my parents taught me that racism, including affirmative action, is wrong and uncivil. You clearly have different parents.
It seems you don't like democracy either. The right to petition one's government is in the US and MO constitutions and there is no sign that regulation is warranted not effective. Schemes to prevent people from getting paid per signature have been thrown out by courts in many states and will probably soon be ruled unconstitutional in Federal District courts in the 7th, 8th and 10th districts, as such First Amendment restrictions should be. What do you have against free speech?
Placing restrictions on the process only make it more expensive to get measures on the ballot and invite in more big money while squeezing out grassroots initiatives. If you want a better process you need to lower, not raise, the restrictions on the process.
PS: polling has shown that the aptly named Civil Rights Initiative would have passed with about 65%+ of the vote. Seems most Missourians aren't racists after all, just their talking heads...
Quotas?
Now Rouge, just where are quotas a practice?
We will get in done in 2010
Count on it, the petition drive and the vote will succeed. It is time preferences and quotas were done away with across the nation.