Can't run state or a nation on public passion

Still, two petition drives are in full swing. One would overturn one of the voucher laws. The other would overturn the stadium funding decision. Both have until a week from tomorrow to gather about 100,000 signatures spread out over 15 counties — an enormous task. Which is as it should be.

In the Federalist paper No. 49, James Madison considered the relative merits of allowing direct appeals to the people when government is perceived to have stepped out of line. He concluded that the dangers outweigh the benefits, because, as he put it, "The passions, therefore, not the reason, of the public would sit in judgment. But it is the reason, alone, of the public, that ought to control and regulate the government."

Just before leaving Southern California, I stopped at a gas station. A man on the other side of the pump was quick to start up a conversation by saying, "Can you believe these prices?" The politicians, he argued, need to be held accountable.

Passion, indeed. But reason? I didn't hear a lot of that in the Golden State, just as I didn't hear a lot of it last fall when Utahns were upset enough about gas prices they prompted the governor's office to launch an investigation.

You can't run a state or a nation on passion and anger. That's why we elect representatives. It's also why overturning their decisions, and allowing the public to write laws, should be made difficult.

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Jay Evensen is editor of the Deseret Morning News editorial page. E-mail: even@desnews.com