Mixed

[Vivian Tenney <teny@telepath.com>]

First, lobbyists.  I see three basic problems:  one, lobbyists writing bills their way, legislators introducing them with little thought (maybe without reading), and sometimes slipping something by that is harmful to the public;  two, there needs to be a limit on how many lobbyists are allowed as they become an extreme nuisance to everyone who wants to walk the corridors of the capitol, and three, paid lobbyists should not contribute money to the people they lobby.  Next, no campaign finance legislation will work if we try to fix one part, and ignore others.  We need to study and fix weaknesses wherever they are. Last, to those who insist that we are a republic, not a democracy, I say that it is time to adjust our thinking and shift to democracy.  What we have now isn't even representative democracy, it's plutocracy, or maybe corpratocracy.  To say people are too uneducated or too busy to study issues is an oversimplification.  Give people a reason and they will find out what they need to know!

Oklahoma citizens and legislators alike make use of the iniatitive and referendum.  Can we make mistakes?  Sometimes.  But many good reforms come just this way!  Overall, the result has been good, not bad.  We aren't about to do away with this right!