7 ms·

Maybe in another 40 years. People aren’t smart, they are as dumb as nails. Sad!

fein 8y ago
The people aren't really the ones making the decision. Here in Ohio, for example, we didn't have a vote on recreational, instead we had a vote on a government sanctioned monopoly possibly leading the way to recreational. If there was some sort of state issue that could be voted on which was "regulate it like we do garden tomatoes", it would pass. Leadership has prevented this, not your cartoon idea of the oh so ignorant voter base. Too often we blame the salt of the earth people for things the media has done. Rule by multi millionaire propagandists.
- thaumasiotes 8y ago
  According to wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initiatives_and_referendums_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initiatives_and_referendums_in... ) and ballotpedia ( https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Indirect_initiative_statute https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Indirect_initiative_s... ), Ohio allows indirect initiatives. Meaning that if you were right about the voting base, it would be easy to legalize recreational marijuana without worrying what the leadership thought. > In the indirect form, initiative sponsors collect signatures and once the signatures are collected, the measure is taken up by the state legislature in their state. The legislature has these options: > Enact the measure as written in the petition. > Refuse to act on the measure, in which case it goes on the ballot. https://ballotpedia.org/Initiated_state_statute https://ballotpedia.org/Initiated_state_statute The leadership is not capable of preventing legalization if the salt of the earth is in favor of it.
  - fein 8y ago
    The salt of the earth doesn't give a shit about the local government; they just want to be left alone for the most part. The issue is getting the signatures in the first place, which requires canvassing, which requires paying someone to organize all of that. The last example of a successful canvassing that we had was a grab at a monopoly over growing ops, which was funded partly by a former member of the boy band NSYNC. The other hurdle is approval by the legislature. In Ohio it's not as simple as "get signatures, get on the ballot".
    - thaumasiotes 8y ago
      > The other hurdle is approval by the legislature. In Ohio it's not as simple as "get signatures, get on the ballot". I'm open to more specialized information, but the description on ballotpedia strongly implies that it is that simple. Specifically, it says that the steps are: 1. Get signatures. 2. The legislature must consider the initiative, either approving or rejecting it. 3a. If the legislature approves the initiative, it becomes law without having to go on the ballot. 3b. If the legislature rejects the initiative, it goes on the ballot. Thus, once you have signatures, the worst case is that you go straight onto the ballot, and the best case is that you become law without needing to. Theoretically, it could be possible for the legislature to sit on the initiative without ever approving or rejecting it. All I'm working off here is a cursory description of the law of several states including Ohio. Do you have relevant knowledge of Ohio law?
- charlex815 8y ago
  Politicians are more often mirrors of society than agents of change. Demand change from them, they aren't reading Hacker News. If they refuse change, campaign against them.
  - anoncoward111 8y ago
    >campaign against them And then suddenly when the death threats and FBI audits and etc start showing up in your life, and you lose the campaign anyway, you'll say to yourself, "shit, this isn't a democracy we're living in, this is just a mafia state."
    - koverda 8y ago
      Tinfoil hats are this way.
      - anoncoward111 8y ago
        Go run for office then. Surely it can't be that hard and daunting.
      - api 8y ago
        Meh. Faraday mesh hats work much better.
- gm-conspiracy 8y ago
  Monopoly, really? One single corporation was going to control the whole cabal? You are misrepresenting facts.
  - fein 8y ago
    Would you prefer cabal? It was a certain group of a limited number of people who could grow, with nothing in the lines of allowing private growers to create startups.
    - gm-conspiracy 8y ago
      Oligopoloy.
dang 8y ago
Maybe so, but please don't post unsubstantive comments to Hacker News.

fein 8y ago

The people aren't really the ones making the decision. Here in Ohio, for example, we didn't have a vote on recreational, instead we had a vote on a government sanctioned monopoly possibly leading the way to recreational. If there was some sort of state issue that could be voted on which was "regulate it like we do garden tomatoes", it would pass. Leadership has prevented this, not your cartoon idea of the oh so ignorant voter base. Too often we blame the salt of the earth people for things the media has done. Rule by multi millionaire propagandists.

thaumasiotes 8y ago
According to wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initiatives_and_referendums_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initiatives_and_referendums_in... ) and ballotpedia ( https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Indirect_initiative_statute https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Indirect_initiative_s... ), Ohio allows indirect initiatives. Meaning that if you were right about the voting base, it would be easy to legalize recreational marijuana without worrying what the leadership thought. > In the indirect form, initiative sponsors collect signatures and once the signatures are collected, the measure is taken up by the state legislature in their state. The legislature has these options: > Enact the measure as written in the petition. > Refuse to act on the measure, in which case it goes on the ballot. https://ballotpedia.org/Initiated_state_statute https://ballotpedia.org/Initiated_state_statute The leadership is not capable of preventing legalization if the salt of the earth is in favor of it.
- fein 8y ago
  The salt of the earth doesn't give a shit about the local government; they just want to be left alone for the most part. The issue is getting the signatures in the first place, which requires canvassing, which requires paying someone to organize all of that. The last example of a successful canvassing that we had was a grab at a monopoly over growing ops, which was funded partly by a former member of the boy band NSYNC. The other hurdle is approval by the legislature. In Ohio it's not as simple as "get signatures, get on the ballot".
  - thaumasiotes 8y ago
    > The other hurdle is approval by the legislature. In Ohio it's not as simple as "get signatures, get on the ballot". I'm open to more specialized information, but the description on ballotpedia strongly implies that it is that simple. Specifically, it says that the steps are: 1. Get signatures. 2. The legislature must consider the initiative, either approving or rejecting it. 3a. If the legislature approves the initiative, it becomes law without having to go on the ballot. 3b. If the legislature rejects the initiative, it goes on the ballot. Thus, once you have signatures, the worst case is that you go straight onto the ballot, and the best case is that you become law without needing to. Theoretically, it could be possible for the legislature to sit on the initiative without ever approving or rejecting it. All I'm working off here is a cursory description of the law of several states including Ohio. Do you have relevant knowledge of Ohio law?
charlex815 8y ago
Politicians are more often mirrors of society than agents of change. Demand change from them, they aren't reading Hacker News. If they refuse change, campaign against them.
- anoncoward111 8y ago
  >campaign against them And then suddenly when the death threats and FBI audits and etc start showing up in your life, and you lose the campaign anyway, you'll say to yourself, "shit, this isn't a democracy we're living in, this is just a mafia state."
  - koverda 8y ago
    Tinfoil hats are this way.
    - anoncoward111 8y ago
      Go run for office then. Surely it can't be that hard and daunting.
    - api 8y ago
      Meh. Faraday mesh hats work much better.
gm-conspiracy 8y ago
Monopoly, really? One single corporation was going to control the whole cabal? You are misrepresenting facts.
- fein 8y ago
  Would you prefer cabal? It was a certain group of a limited number of people who could grow, with nothing in the lines of allowing private growers to create startups.
  - gm-conspiracy 8y ago
    Oligopoloy.

dang 8y ago

Maybe so, but please don't post unsubstantive comments to Hacker News.