What do you think about ballot propositions? In California, every election cycle we're asked to vote on somewhere between 4 and 13,000,000 individual propositions. This year, all but one were put on the ballot by petition rather than by the legislature.

I'm conflicted. On the one hand, ballot propositions are a great outlet for representative democracy. Want to see a new government program, or a change to the California constitution? Just get some signatures it it can be on the ballot. Then again, any old dumbass can gather signatures. It seems to me you could find enough people to sign on to even the worst idea and get it on the ballot.

And once it's there, we're putting an awful lot of faith in the knowledge and comprehension of the voting public. I hate to be a cynic, but I just don't trust voters to get it right. Why? Well, I could go for the straight (and offensive) argument that most people are stupid. Meh. Actually, I don't even need that argument. I think to myself: I've got more post-graduate education that your average 3 people put together. That doesn't make me smart, but it does give me a lot of practice with reading tough material, digesting complex issues, making conclusions. And I can't make any sense of most of these things! The frikkin' voter handbook is like 2 inches thick! Yes, it includes the actual text of the law at the back. But then again, it includes the actual text of the law at the back! I need a translation. I need some Advil. And if I can't make heads or tails of it, can most people? Maybe. Maybe I'm just dum.