The Sun in its recent editorial ("Government by referendum?" July 10) finally realized that the GOP, frustrated by its electoral failure to convince a majority of voters to support its candidates, has determined to throw a monkey wrench into the works of democracy and frustrate the constitutional will of the people, through what I more accurately called, "government by plebiscite." Either we need to make referendums harder to get on the ballot, or we need to permit negative referendums, in which supporters of the law can block a referendum by gathering more signatures.
Readers need to understand that the moment a law is petitioned to referendum, it is vetoed. When the law is petitioned, its opponents have won. It does not matter what the representatives duly elected by you and the majority of voters pass and the elected governor signs; an small minority can kill the bill, at least until the next election, and then the duly passed law can take effect only if it wins a majority in a referendum dominated by the passionate few and propagandized by outside interest groups.
