Beyond Tone Deaf

Trust me, I am wary of democracy. Most of the time it is the best tool we have for making decisions in our society. But I am also aware of that which de Tocqueville called the tyranny of the majority. 

Whenever the majority votes to oppress a minority or restrict individual liberty it is wrong. Whether it is oppressing people based on skin color or gender or religion, or creating laws that infringe on our inherent constitutional freedoms, such actions cannot be allowed to stand. 

On the other hand, when a proposal is made to restrict or limit government, or to reaffirm the rights of free citizens, then the will of the majority must be respected. 

We live in a Republic, not a pure Democracy. Our ultimate authority is our written constitution, rather than bureaucrats or judges or elected officials or even majority rule. That is true at both the federal and state levels. The constitution can be modified, but not bypassed or ignored. 

At the county level we have a charter, which defines what the county can or cannot do. All laws and actions in the county must comply with the charter. 

In November, the citizens of St. Charles County went to the polls and voted overwhelmingly (over 73%) to amend the county charter to ban government from using red light cameras. And local governments promptly sued the voters of St. Charles County for having the gall to vote to limit their power. 

Understand, this was not citizens oppressing a minority or voting themselves goodies from the public treasury. They were not infringing on the rights of individuals. They voted specifically to limit the power of their government. And government officials are suing them for it. 

The Mayor and Aldermen of my city will explain to us that they are doing it to preserve their power, as though we were not already aware of that. They will quibble about the way it was put on the ballot or flood you with legal

nonsense. 

The citizens voted to amend the charter in a way that limits their power. And they just can't stand it. This is what is wrong. We are surrounded by people who are either not paying attention or who don't understand basic principles of our government. Both are dangerous. But the power drunk officials who are suing the citizens are currently at the top of my list. Stay tuned.