Americans want democracy but can be apathetic

The Economist magazine last week tried to explain California's troubles as the result of a unique combination of populist ideas that, taken together, paralyze government. For one, the state's budget has to pass both houses of the Legislature by a two-thirds majority. So does any tax increase. The state made it easy for citizens to put initiatives on the ballot and then made it illegal for lawmakers to override any successful initiative. Californians face an average of 10 initiatives a year, the magazine said.

All that democracy has done little to excite voters, who typically stay home in droves. The greater the voter apathy, the more likely you are to have political extremists — the people who love politics and are passionate about an ideology — take control. The right becomes really right, and the left becomes really left, and few good compromises ever find their way to the middle.

Utah, for good reason, has made it harder to pass citizen initiatives.

L.A. Times columnist Gregory Rodriguez said it well: "Much of the life of an average citizen is lived in the spirit of indifference, if not outright defiance, toward the political system ...Our general indifference is interrupted by intense moments of engagement. But to ask voters to make too many decisions too much of the time tips the delicate balance between indifference and engagement, and that can lead to civic contempt."

From what I've seen, California voters made the right decisions Tuesday, but it's still up to the politicians there to keep the rest of us from paying their bills.

As for the Jordan School Board, it shouldn't worry too much about what the people tell pollsters they want. The board was elected to make those decisions, after all.

Jay Evensen is editor of the Deseret News edito?rial page. E-mail: even@desnews.com. Visit his blog at www.deseretnews.com/blogs.