I am trying to pull out from beneath this pile of procrastination. It’s a slow process, but it’s happening. The plans are simple for this weekend. I am going over to Amanda’s house to get my Grammar homework done. I am also working this weekend in order to get caught back up on my paperwork.

The political climate remains nasty. The spin comes from both ends. I can’t help but think that if the tables were turned, if Foley was a democrat, that the Repubs would pounce on him harder than the Dems have. I thought I would higlight a few amendments that caught my eye.

Florida: No on Amendment 3
Florida is one of 24 states that allows direct democracy by giving citizens access to place legislative measures on the statewide ballot. Florida citizens can amend their state constitution by gathering enough signatures to place an issue on the ballot for citizens to vote on. When important issues fall upon deaf ears in the legislature, which is often held captive by special interests, ballot initiatives serve as a critical system of checks and balances to ensure citizens’ voices are still heard.

In 2002, Florida approved by a 55% majority the first initiative ever to be adopted in the United States to ban the confinement of animals on factory farms. The measure banned the caging of breeding sows in gestation crates—tiny, two-foot by seven-foot cages in which pregnant pigs are housed for almost all of their dismal existence. An initiative like this is a prime example of why Florida’s long-standing system of checks and balances needs to be protected and preserved.

Due to the recent success of citizen’s initiatives by several social movements, some forces in the state legislature want to make it nearly impossible for voters to continue to participate in this kind of direct democracy. Although Florida legislators have proposed nearly 50 constitutional amendments of their own every year for the last few years, they want to curtail the rights of citizens to amend their own state constitution.

The legislature has put a measure, Amendment 3, on the 2006 ballot that would increase the number of votes needed to approve ballot initiatives from 50% to 60%—a “supermajority”—of the electorate.

Trust the Voters, a coalition of citizen, environmental, and other groups, including The Humane Society of the United States, is urging voters to vote no on Amendment 3 and preserve the rights of Florida citizens by telling professional politicians that they cannot insulate themselves from accountability and silence the voice of the people.

A little fucked up, don’t you think?
Oh, but there is more

And here is a comprehensive list of what’s on the ballot.