California no dictatorship;lawmakers can be ousted
Dan Walters (“Dems resent sharing lawmaking with voters,” Opinion section, March 20) compares legislators overriding past referendum votes on rent control and capital punishment to “Third World dictators.” This is ridiculous.
Most of the Founding Fathers, including Madison and Hamilton, distrusted direct democracy, equating it with mob rule. A legislature can, at least in theory, take a more reasoned approach to complex legal and moral issues.
Nor is public opinion fixed one time forever. For example, support for repeal of capital punishment has grown. A 2016 Field Poll found no statistical difference between the numbers of people who wanted to abolish the death penalty and who wanted to retain it.
The Legislature is in a position to decide when it’s time for a change. Voters strongly opposed to a piece of legislation can work to evict its supporters from the Legislature at the next election.
That’s why California is not a Third World dictatorship.
Greg LindenOakland
Submit your letter to the editor via this formRead more Letters to the Editor