Comments on: The Mis-Education of the voter

By: On referendums and institutions « VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:02:53 +0000

[...] shook my head. Poor fellow – the mis-education of the voter has worked its magic on him. But then the article on the facing page caught my eye: it was a [...]

By: Where do we go from here? « VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local

Where do we go from here? « VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:00:45 +0000

[...] the printed paper are harder to get, so here is a pdf.) Interestingly enough, the Pilot excerpted my post on the facing [...]

By: MB

MB — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:46:01 +0000

We don’t want you to be the eastern suburb of Fairfax, either. I mean, were would we put the dog park, then?

By: Mike@Blueweeds

Mike@Blueweeds — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:14:09 +0000

There are a number of excellent commentaries on how the Virginia Dillon rule could be improved or replaced wothout resorting to a complete local chaos.

My favorite idea is to convert Virginia to a constitutional home rule state and then fight over how permissive that home rule could be.

That would provide a measure of sanity to local goverance in places like small but mighty Falls Church, but still allow the megaopolis’s like Arlington to allow their bike riding liberals to turn the community into the giant dog park they really want it to be.

Said with love, MB. Because we really don’t want to be a the eastern suburb of Fairfax County.

By: Texas Cowboy

Texas Cowboy — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:56:51 +0000

You are absolutely on the mark! Elected politicians whether Federal, State or Local, seem to automatically acquire a disdain for those who placed them in office. Truth is, many Americans can see right thru this facade, and many could do much better than career politicians. I hope during this year, people will speak out against infighting, do nothing people who simply harm this country from moving forward. The momentum started with Obama’s election, I hope we can keep it going.

By: MB

MB — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:05:04 +0000

More seriously, Mike does inspire me to note that as much as I’m happy to support tossing the Dillon Rule overboard, the non-responsiveness of gov’t can occasionally have a useful buffering effect. California’s disaster of ballot initiatives and (apparently easy) recalls comes to mind as a warning against too much direct democracy. Closer to home, I can only imagine that Prince William County might have been building its own border fence if I were more susceptible to the pressures of political populism.

By: MB

MB — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:00:47 +0000

Sorry, Mike, you can’t become part of Arlington. Falls Church is really swell and all, but we just don’t like you like that. Let’s be friends.

By: Mike@Blueweeds

Mike@Blueweeds — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:01:02 +0000

Good points.

However, in smaller independent jurisidictions (like Falls Church City), the Dillion Rule provides a measure of protection from very parochial local politics. Our council memebers are usually elected by swinging thirty votes or so. Every local election is a grusome fight in a phone booth.

If the Dillion Rule is modified, it should be done in a way that does not throw smaller jurisdictions to the local political dogs.

By: Joel McDonald

Joel McDonald — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:03:30 +0000

As voters, that’s really all we can do. If we actually organize around principles and declare that we will not cast a vote for anyone who doesn’t support such-and-such, we’ll find someone who will for sake of gaining those votes. Local politics is too haphazard. We need to get our act together.