Super-Majorities...

Here in Washington, school levies (unlike other public bond issues and tax levies) require a super-majority to pass - 60% in favor. It's been that way for quite some time, presumably because folks might tend to vote with hearts rather'n' brains when it comes to funding the educational system.

A new blitz of ads on the idiot box informs us this is a very bad thing, and there is an initiative on the ballot that will make it "all better" - getting my hopes up that the initiative would extend the super-majority requirement to *all* bond and levy measures.

Sadly, the proponents go to some length to explain that rather than doing the sensible thing they propose to abolish the super-majority concept entirely. This is not good.

It is quite bad enough that we have a large segment of the population that, if you simply trot out a child and point out how terribly oppressed they will be if the nimrods don't vote as you suggest, who will blithely go along with just about any measure no matter how ill-considered. It is, after all, for the kids.

Fortunately, until now, the super-majority requirement has somewhat (though certainly not entirely) been something of a stumbling block to those who would use the "cute pathos" card to drive electoral success. Should the initiative pass, one more impediment to taxing us all into oblivion will be removed by the dead hand of a ignorant electorate.

Perhaps we'll dodge the bullet...