Nice show of support for the Citizens' Initiative Review in the Hillsboro Argus

Submitted by Tyrone Reitman on Tue, 10/07/2008 - 11:22am
Show Initiative Tuesday, September 30, 2008 The Hillsboro Argus A panel of citizens have issued their verdict on Measure 58. Their recommendation: Reject it. Measure 58 would limit the number of years non-native students may be taught in the language of their birth: one year for elementary students, two for those in high-school. The evaluation came as the result of a demonstration Citizens' Initiative Review project from Healthy Democracy Oregon. This group has proposed state legislation that would convene panels, carefully selected to represent a cross-section of the state's voters, to review statewide ballot initiatives before general elections. Their evaluation criteria, according to the healthydemocracyoregon.org Web site, is to determine whether a measure will really do what its supporters claim it will and whether it actually provides a good solution to a statewide problem. During five days the 23 panelists who participated in this test heard speakers from both sides of the measure, including its author, Bill Sizemore. They asked questions and then deliberated. Of the 23, nine members decided the measure was a good idea. The project's goal is to provide voters with more balanced information than the yes-no statements in voters pamphlets. This strikes us as a good idea, good for democracy and deserving of backing. Susan Gordanier Hillsboro Argus Editorial   ©2008 Hillsboro Argus

Comments

Submitted by John Abbe (not verified) on Sat, 11/15/2008 - 4:05am.
At this point i think pretty much any publicity is a good thing, and i thought they did a good job explaining some of how CIR works and part of the purpose. Oh, and here's a link to the editorial online And, my hopes are high enough for this project contributing to a real transformation of politics that i was sad to see it led with the "Reject it" verdict line, especially given that there was nothing to mitigate the idea that the initiative review process leads to a binary for-or-against outcome. I think it would be great if press reports included a quote from Bill Sizemore supporting the process (which he did) even though it went "against" him, or from those involved (e.g., "If this diverse group can do this, why can't this be the model for doing business in America?"), something to reflect that everyone felt that the process gave all perspectives a fair hearing, and that both those who ended up in support and those who ended up opposed offered their informed, balanced perspective on why. In addition to pointing to the political vision of CIR, of helping people see that "it's possible to argue without fighting", such coverage would also imho make such articles more appealing to people across the political spectrum, as they see respect for/from views that reflect theirs, even if they agree with the 'losing' side of any particular panel. The quotes above are from the panelists themselves, in the inspiring closing circle in which ther reflect on the five days they spent together. I'm sending a modified version of this note to the Argus editor.

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