Posted by
Selfish Rhino on Sunday, October 19, 2008 11:10:34 PM
Citizens of the City and County of San Francisco utterly abuse the initiative and referendum system by petitioning for Proposition R – “Renaming the Oceanside Water Treatment Plant.” If it receives a fifty percent plus one affirmative vote, it would change the name to the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.
There certainly are valid arguments for an against the process that many western state and local governments have instituted – some are fond of the practice of direct or “pure democracy,” and some argue that it undermines a republican form of representative government and can lead to “mob rule.”
Regardless of either argument, the City and County of San Francisco has enabled a group of citizens with obvious ill-intent to create legislation that creates an official public proclamation of disrespect for a soon-to-be former President of the United States.
Furthermore, while the renaming will have a only a minute fiscal impact on the City and County, tax dollars are being used to publish the voter guide that enables citizens to publicly defame a President in a manner that is far above and beyond that which simply provides an objective manner in which to persuade voters to affirm the proposition.
While it is clear that President Bush has lacked popularity for much of his administration and one can arguably disagree with many of his policies and actions, as do I, it is utterly shameful and immature to utilize a taxpayer owned municipal/county facility as a symbol of dishonor of any public official, let alone an eight-year Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America. I would have the same viewpoint regardless of the President in question.
Do not let it be mistaken that I am not an ardent proponent of the First Amendment. I am not arguing for censorship nor claiming that any illegal action has been taken. I would certainly even decry a lawsuit against the City and County for enabling the name change and furthermore would be disappointed in a federal judge or panel of judges that would award damages to a given plaintiff taking action against government officials.
This is a matter ethics and maturity. Individuals have numerous fora in which to “Bush bash." Need such hatred and disrespect be expressed on the title of a governmental facility as well as within the text of government-issued so-called voter education?
Read pages 202-205 here to see what I am talking about.
I suppose I could have discounted this as simply being yet another “whacky” action to come out of San Francisco, but this one I could not leave alone. Those involved are downright childish.
- Craig