I am confident there is a historian out there who will correct me if
I'm wrong. But I believe in a true democracy, most, if not all issues,
related to its citizens is done by plebiscite.
We extol the virtues of our wonderful democracy, even as we conduct
business as a republic, in which, officials, elected by the people, represent
them in a body of government. These representatives are stewards. Yet the
true power still rests with the citizens. The people remain the voice of
final authority.
Beyond the outcry to let the people decide on an official state flag,
old or new, I hope this method of decision-making is not quickly forgotten
once the polls close.
The next time there is a move to raise the taxes of the tax-burdened
people of Mississippi, or bequeath legislative pay raises, I hope those
referendums are dusted off and updated.
In a democracy or a republic, the people never abdicate power, unless
they either forfeit, or forgo, the right to vote.
Danny Chandler is a Business Systems Analyst with the Mississippi State Department of Health and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with American Medical Response. He serves on the Biracial Advisory Committee in Madison County on behalf of the U.S. Justice Department and is a member of the Executive Board of the Madison County Voters League. He is founder of Mississippi FOCUS, a $50,000 tax deductible scholarship program established to help send young people from Mississippi to Oakwood College.
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