EvanRavitz's Comments (17)

“You forgot to mention the complicity of the Sierra Club and other mainstream "environmental" orgs which acquiesced to this perfidy. They sold out the planet for the promise of less toxic pollution for the locals.

Also please see Clean Energy Action's report on the real availability of coal. It's NOT going to last 200 years:

http://cleanenergyaction.org/html/coal_supplies.html”

“The ONLY reason nukes were ever built was because Congress (the opposite of progress) in 1957 indemnified the industry against liability for a big accident -like Chernobyl or Three Mile Island. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_Anderson_Act Without this nukes couldn't be insured without greatly increasing the price of their electricity. Still, nukes are so expensive that nobody will build them without huge taxpayer subsidies. And there's still nowhere to put the 50,000 tons of poisonous nuclear waste that's sitting in leaking cooling pools everywhere, perfect targets for terrorists.

Read what the world's foremost energy expert, Amory Lovins has to say, in his famous mathematical way: http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid467.php Amory wrote "Soft Energy Paths" in 1977 which convinced utilities & policy-makers NOT to build lots more coal plants, but to invest in efficiency instead. Because of that Amory is responsible for saving more energy, money, pollution and climate change than any person alive.”

“We used to borrow it, now we steal it. The extra carbon's not going away for 1000 years.”

“Buying Congress is the world's best investment, paying off at 1000 to 1 or better. See Jack Abramoff's self-advertisement in the 3rd para of http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/30/AR2005043000783.html Other refs available on request.

When people get serious about stopping our country going down this toilet, we'll take the responsibility of checking and balancing Congress OURSELVES. The model is Switzerland, which has had NATIONAL ballot initiatives since 1848. One result is the highest news readership in the world, because people can DO something with what they learn. The Swiss vote 4-7 times a year on local, cantonal and federal ballot issues. It keeps their Parliament more honest and representative. By now it's a complementary relationship they call "co-determ­ination."

By far the best project for better and national ballot initiatives here is the National Initiative for Democracy led by famed former Senator Mike Gravel: http://Vote.org It's endorsed by folks like Patch Adams, Daniel Ellsberg, "Granny D," Julia Butterfly Hill, Ralph Nader, Pete Seeger and Howard Zinn.

The few problem initiatives which get all the attention can be exposed BEFORE they get voted on with deliberative process like all legislators get: hearings, expert testimony, amendment, reports, etc. Oregon's governor recently signed a bill mandating this there: http://HealthyDemocracyOregon.org This is the first serious improvement to the initiative process in their century of existence!”

“I'm no expert, but this Sept. 9 editorial indicates there is NO such federal law: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/09/congress_should_close_the_guns.html

Since Congress is bought off by the NRA, the "health insurance" industry, the military/industrial complex, etc., we need NATIONAL ballot initiatives. By far the best project: http://Vote.org”

“Welcome, Rob & Jessica! I worked with Rob to defeat Colorado's 2008 Referendum O, which would have made ballot initiatives harder. Here in Colo., initiatives gave us the country's first Renewable Energy Mandate (Amendment 37), the country's strongest ban on lobbyists giving politicians ANYTHING (41), campaign finance reform (27), increased K-12 funding (23), Background Checks at Gun Shows (22), Medical Marijuana (20), cleaner hog farms (14), Term Limits (12), etc. just in the last 6 general elections. Research it yourself with the National Conference of State Legislatures' database: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legismgt/elect/dbintro.htm

I also watched Rob win a case for medical marijuana user Jason Lauve. Rob's Facebook profile says he's a "classic liberal." Classics never go out of style. Gotta run...”

“I've heard of getting belted by the Bible, but not by Yoga!. And i've been practicing yoga 30 years every day.”

“With all Washingtoon a mutual self-congratulation society, we need a more powerful "check and balance" to regulate the regulators. The most profound project for this is Sen. Mike Gravel's National Initiative for Democracy, which allows The People to check and balance with ballot initiatives at all levels of government. See http://Vote.org

Mike is not a good promoter, though he sacrificed his retirement to run for President.

My longtime friend and Congressman-elect Jared Polis explained on radio on 12/8/09 why he will introduce a
bill next year for NATIONAL ballot initiatives: http://spryeye.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-congressman-jared-polis-on-record.html”

“It's like Nixon's "Checkers speech" all over again! Can we impeach Nixon posthumously? Could we please go back and impeach Bush in 2003? Pay no attention to the "decider" behind the curtain; see the cute dogie?”

“Solutions to initiative problems have been generally agreed on and available for many decades. But legislators NEVER improve the process, only make it harder (not affecting the wealthy much) and hobbling it in various ways (this year, with AZ Prop. 105 and CO Ref. O, both wisely defeated by voters).

Voters on ballot initiatives need what legislators get: public hearings, expert testimony, amendments, reports, etc. The best project for such deliberative process is the National Initiative for Democracy, led by former Sen. Mike Gravel: http://Vote.org. Also http://healthydemocracyoregon.org/ and http://cirwa.org

In Switzerland, petitions are left at government offices and stores for people to read and sign at leisure, so there are less aggressive petitioners, more informed signers, and less $ required. The Swiss vote on initiatives 3-7 times a year so there's never too many on one ballot. Because they have real power, the Swiss read more newspapers/capita than anyone else.

In Switzerland, representatives are humbler, after centuries of local and cantonal (state) ballot initiatives, and national initiatives since 1891. They call their system "co-determ­ination." This works well for couples, too!”

“Even this loss will advance gay rights. All the media about this gets people thinking. Here's my experience as a straight who grew up not knowing gays were around:

I vaguely avoided gays, but didn't know why. Then in 1992 Colorado voters passed Amendment 2 (which never was in effect as all courts ruled it unconstitutional) which would have banned gay rights laws like Boulder, Aspen and Denver had passed. So it was all over the news. I remembered WHY I was homophobic: the first gays I knew of were drivers who picked me up while hitch-hiking at age 18 and HAD THEIR HANDS ALL OVER ME!

Once I understood where my fear came from, I relaxed and now have plenty of gay friends. One, Jared Polis, was just elected to be our Congressman! He did more than anyone to turn Colorado from "Red" to "Deep Blue", both by funding Dem campaigns (he's wealthy) AND by funding ballot initiatives for more school funding, renewable energy, preventing lobbyists from giving "gifts" to legislators, etc.

So ballot initiatives get things on the biggest "table": the ballot. That's a huge way the ignorant learn. Ballot initiatives are the origin of most reforms, such as women's suffrage (passed in 13 states before Congress went along), direct election of Senators , publicly financed elections, medical marijuana and increasing minimum wages. See http://Vote.org/initiatives for more examples and references.”

“Democracy is messy. As W said: "If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator,"

Ballot initiatives can be annoying, and sometimes threatenin­g.. But they are educational because: they empower people and thus give them an incentive to educate themselves and discuss things. As long as others ("representatives') make all decisions, we are like kids, not responsible for the world we live in.

I used to be a bit homophobic, but didn't know why, since when I was raised in the '50s and '60s I never knew a single person I knew was gay.

In 1992, Colorado voters passed Amendment 2, which prohibited Gay Rights laws like Boulder, Denver and Aspen had. (All courts ruled it unconstitu­tional.) This made gay rights a huge topic here. Because of that I remembered why I avoided gay people. The first gays I met had picked me up hitch-hiking at 18 around San Francisco and had their hands all over me! Now I remembered where I got my prejudice, and overcame it easily, as I knew lots of kind gays here.

Let's not forget how "our" representatives are doing! Do torture, perpetual war and debt, the bailout, warrantless spying, the Drug War, ad nauseum, represent you or the majority? Hardly. Do they respect minorities? No way!

Checks and balances are good. So most people want direct AND representative democracy. Except politicians, the people who buy them, and the lobbyists between.”

“Voters on initiatives need what legislators get: public hearings, expert testimony, amendments, reports, etc., but independent of the legislature, as all branches of government work independently. The best project for such deliberative process is the National Initiative for Democracy, led by former Sen. Mike Gravel: http://Vote.org. Also http://healthydemocracyoregon.org/ and http://cirwa.org”

“Eugene, that disengagement "habit" has been TAUGHT us for a decades by a govt which ignores, maligns and marginalizes us when we HAVE protested (if they don't run us over with horses or beat us) We protested before the invasion, when one poll showed 72% against going to Iraq unless the UN agreed. People were in the streets to prevent the bailout.. We were 60% against NAFTA. Ad nauseum.

We need a WAY to "become the shapers of our destiny." Buying Congress is likely the world’s best investment, paying off at 1000 to 1, according to several sources, including Jack Abramoff (in the 3rd paragraph of http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/30/AR2005043000783.html.)

To check and balance that almost infinite pressure on Congress, we need better and NATIONAL BALLOT INITIATIVES, which have worked in Switzerland to keep Parliament humble and representing since 1891. The best project for this is former Sen. Mike Gravel's National Initiative for Democracy.

Since 2003, registered voters have been voting at http://Vote.org to ratify the National Initiative, much as citizens ratified the Constitution at the Conventions. But the media won't touch it, even when Mike was sacrificing his retirement to run for President to promote it.

If you agree, please tell people tonight on Jon Stewart's show something like "Please Vote at Vote.org to take the "mock" out of democracy!" People can also read Mike's book "Citizen Power".

Evan Ravitz,
evan at vote dot org”

“"Voting is essential. But unless we see our vote as part of a commitment to involve ourselves consistently and unrelentingly in the political process, our vote is wasted."

Jarecki is right. But, HOW? Government is getting better and better at ignoring, "managing" and marginalizing citizens, and most people are getting more busy, stressed and traumatized because of this and the black holes our $ goes in. Exhorting us to try harder doesn't work.

Buying Congress is the world's best investment, paying off at 1000 to 1 and better. Jack Abramoff, jailed bribesman extraordinaire, says so in the 3rd paragraph of: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/30/AR2005043000783.html

So we need a REAL check and balance on Congress, a "Plan B" like 24 states have on our legislatures, NATIONAL ballot initiatives. Former Sen. Mike Gravel has the best plan, and YOU can vote to ratify it at http://Vote.org, much as citizens, not the 13 States, ratified the Constitution at the Conventions.”

“Colorado is now mostly "blue" (Dem governor, house, senate, 5 of 9 Congressional Districts and 1 Senator), partly due to ballot initiatives including Amendment 23 (raising school funding), Amendment 37 (mandating renewable energy from utilities) and Amendment 41 (prohibiting "gifts" from lobbyists to legislators) which appealed to Dem voters.

But ballot initiatives are most important in and of themselves. Ballot initiatives are the origin of most reforms, such as women's suffrage (passed in 13 states before Congress went along), direct election of Senators (4 states), publicly financed elections (passed by initiative in 6 of 7 states with them), medical marijuana ( in 8 of 12 states) and increasing minimum wages (in all 6 states that tried in 2006). See http://Vote.org/initiatives for more examples and references. The media have seized on the problem initiatives. They generally kiss up to politicians.”

“I'm sorry that gays have been targeted by intolerant abusers of the initiative process. But don't throw out the baby with the bathwater!

Here in Colorado, my gay friend Jared Polis is running for Congress http://polisforcongress.comm), and the single greatest force in turning Colorado from "red" to "blue" since 2000. He's used his wealth to fund Dem campaigns, but also to sponsor 2 very successful ballot initiatives, Colorado Amendments 23 (raising school funding) and 41 (preventing lobbyists from giving anything to legislators). He joined in sponsoring 37, which mandates renewables for electric companies.

Ballot initiatives are the origin of most reforms, such as women's suffrage (passed in 13 states before Congress went along), direct election of Senators (4 states), publicly financed elections (by initiative in 6 of 7 states with them), medical marijuana (8 of 13 states) and increasing minimum wages (in all 6 states that tried in 2006).

Jared also supports NATIONAL ballot initiatives, with which we could stop the Feds from abridging medical marijuana rights, stop illegal wars, torture, etc., and get national health care, which Congress has dithered over since the '40s, while all other 1st world countries got it.

Voters on initiatives need what legislators get: public hearings, expert testimony, amendments, reports, etc. The best project for better and national initiatives is the National Initiative for Democracy, led by former Sen. Mike Gravel: http://Vote.org.”