Power To The People

     

     I've had any number of political junkies urge me to do stories about recall and initiative over the years. 
     The first would allow voters to recall elected officials (as in yesterday's failed effort in Wisconsin*). The second would allow voters to introduce their own legislation by gathering a sufficient number of signatures.
     Both would require Alabama Legislative approval.

    The new GOP super-majority legislature had a chance to consider a broad recall law** in this year's legislative session, but it went nowhere after Senate Committee approval.
     Alabama law does allow impeachment. In the suburban Birmingham city of Graysville, voters will consider impeaching Mayor Doug Brewer*** this Fall.]  

    Then there's the term limits argument, which also ends up in the bottom of a big black hole.     
     Asking the legislators themselves to limit their own ability to be reelected, to let voters recall them, and to share their law proposing power? Never happen. 
     Of course if the voters had the power of initiative...
    
[*Mother Jones has an interesting analysis of the voting there.
 ** Sponsored by Democrat Roger Bedford.
 *** Long before his political career, Doug was a producer at WERC Radio, and often sat on the other side of the control-room glass, screening calls etc. Seems like the show in Graysville is a soap-opera!]