I'm thinking of calling our counter plan The Kenny Lake - Chitina Rejuvenation Project. Less than a week before we open and I'm still taking interior materials out of the 20' gertee. Made five new mini mobiles, some tiny wooden signs, and organized and packed all the new and old materials I'm taking down with me. Got some really nice shiny, bright materials for info signs and now I'm thinking about expanding the Chitina Centennial Celebration to include Kenny Lake, because it was established at the same time Chitina was. Kenny Lake was a supply stop for travelers on the Chitina Valdez Fairbanks Military Road. There has been no advertising or marketing of our 100 year birthday by any of local groups who claim to work for the community. It only just occurred to me last night. Good thing I have 300 yards of vinyl sign materials coming... I can make several huge signs for these historic celebrations!
As the WISE guys and gals continue to ignore the obvious and critical needs of this community, our tiny ACL group will continue to find legitimate ways to market and develop existing local businesses. Our mission is to restore the economic diversity of our area, because it is so essential to American prosperity that everyone is treated equally. We will honor the contributions made by all the people who've worked and lived in the Copper River Basin since the end of the nineteenth century, not just the Ahtna Indians, but also the Norwegians, Germans, Russians, Chinese and numerous other immigrants. We'll have slide shows of Alaskan Oakie homesteads, maps of the trains and roads built here by the US Army Corp of Engineers, and I found a bunch of old Gold Prospector maps from 90 years ago! (Remember when you were a kid in school and the state maps always showed the RESOURCES available in each state? Modern maps show us all the land locked up (protected) by the Park and Ahtna, minus the minerals). I still have to find time to update and revise the Kenny Lake - Chitina Business Fun Map I made last year. I wanted to make it into a big 4x8' sign to hang outside the Merc on the porch, like the one in Ten Sleep, Wyoming. I can make a sign that says "BIKERS WELCOME!" too. :)
Laws governing the initiative process in Alaska:
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Laws_governing_the_initiative_process_in_Alaska
About Initative & Referendum
The People's Right To Make & Repeal A LawA Possible Long Term Solution
Initiatives and Referendums are reshaping local and state government, policies, and even the geography of American cities and counties. Citizen lawmakers are using direct democracy to limit growth, block Wal-Mart stores, issue bonds for schools and parks, set minimum wages, finance arenas and stadiums, and a host of other issues.
The Initiative and Referendum process is available to most all municipalities in every state. The practice dates back to ancient Greece. It appeared in America in 1777 when the Georgia state constitution provided a means to adopt amendments with the voters' consent. In 1898, South Dakota granted its voters the right to initiate all forms of legislation.
The modern day movement to utilize the Initiative process can be said to have begun in 1978 in California with the passage of Proposition 13 that cut property taxes from 2.5 percent of market value to just 1 percent. After Proposition 13 passed in California, similar measures were adopted through the initiative process in Michigan and Massachusetts. Within two years, 43 states had implemented some form of property tax limitation or relief and 15 states lowered their income tax rates.
The simple truth is, major reform in this country is not possible without the initiative process. Many argue that career politicians are not going to put limits on their own time in office or limits on the amount of other people’s money they can spend. Nor are they going to do anything that might rock the ‘special interest boat’. The initiative process is vital to reforming our country.
Remaining critics of the Initiative & Referendum process include most all politicians in the states which do not yet offer this proven form of direct democracy. Of course, tough to find support in congress or from those that benefit from status quo in Washington.
Opponents claim that "Law Making" is a very complicated process which is best left to the "Law Makers" - those we elect to do the job......
There is no doubt that you can find flaws with citizen lawmaking. No form of legislating is perfect. But in an era of growing government, there needs to be one last check in the Checks & Balances or national government. The expansion of the Initiative process seems to be an uphill battle. Due to the reforms that the citizens have been successful in promoting through the initiative process – reforms that have limited the power of government – legislators in states without I&R have been hostile to advocating it and unfortunately its expansion can only occur by legislators giving it to the people. This in itself is a perfect example of why we need I&R.
An Initiative, which can be drafted by anyone, generally requires the signatures of a specific percentage of the district’s registered voters, often between five and 15 percent, to qualify for the ballot. If sufficient signatures are received and verified, then the measure is placed on the ballot for the next scheduled election or at a special election. If approved by a vote of the people, the measure becomes law.
More About the Initiative & Referendum Process
Two types of Initiative exist:
• Direct Initiative: A direct Initiative is the standard form of this process. Interested parties prepare the Initiative and collect the necessary signatures. If they are successful, the issue is placed on the ballot. If approved by the voters, the measure becomes law.
• Indirect Initiative: Indirect Initiatives (mandated in some localities) require that measures receiving a sufficient number of valid petition signatures are then submitted to the legislature for action. Usually, if the legislature fails to pass the proposed legislation, it is submitted to the electorate for final disposition; however, in other areas, the proposal dies if defeated in the legislature.
Three basic types of Referendums exist:
• Petition or Popular Referendum. A Referendum by petition follows the initiative process in which a statutory number of signatures is collected in order to qualify the measure for the ballot. The voters then decide the measure's fate.
• Optional or Legislative Referendum. The optional Referendum is the means for a legislature to refer a controversial matter (e.g. a new tax) to the electorate for a vote.
• Constitutional (or Statutory) Referendum. Some states and localities require that certain types of measures (often constitutional amendments, bond measures and some types of taxes) be submitted to the electorate in a Referendum. These measures often require more than a simple majority for approval.
Learn more about the Initiative and Referendum process from the
Initiative & Referendum Institute at the University of Southern Californi.How Can We Establish A National Initiative & Referendum Process ?
A Constitutional Amendment may be offered in the House or Senate by any representative. Many, less worthy, Constitutional Amendments are offered every year.
By Joint Resolutions : Joint resolutions may originate either in the House of Representatives or in the Senate. There is little practical difference between a bill and a joint resolution. Both are subject to the same procedure, except for a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution. On approval of such a resolution by two-thirds of both the House and Senate, it is sent directly to the Administrator of General Services for submission to the individual states for ratification. It is not presented to the President for approval. A joint resolution originating in the House of Representatives is designated "H.J.Res." followed by its individual number. Joint resolutions become law in the same manner as bills. {emphasis mine}
A Constitutional Convention may be called by agreement of two-thirds of the legislatures of the States. A Constitutional Convention may propose one or more amendments to the United States Constitution. These amendments are then sent to the states to be approved by three-fourths of the legislatures or conventions.
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