Three views of California politics-as-unusual: I Don’t
Recall
By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson
On October 7 an election will be held
that is critical to the integrity and stability of our democracy. The
extremists' plan to control our vote, our government, and disrupt the orderly
process of democracy, is at work.
There are two issues that will affect the
nation that are at stake. Thus the historic civil rights movement and labor,
religious leadership, the medical and health care community, and devotees of
democracy, must speak out.
There are
two issues that compel us to Vote NO in October: the election recall, an attempt
to torpedo our democratic process; and Prop. 54, the Connerly information ban
initiative, which attempts to ban race as a factor in pursuit of research, law
enforcement, and other legitimate quests. Racial inclusion is an imperative, but
we continue to confront historic patterns of racial exclusion. Tyrants would
rather burn the books of history's library than seek the more difficult
challenge of remedy and fairness.
We
oppose the recall. It undermines order and the stability of our government. It
is another attempt to overturn a legitimate democratic election by using an
archaic law established in the early 20th century as a precautionary measure to
fight against political corruption. The motive of the recall is to destroy
rather than to build. This leads to democratic anarchy. The atmosphere may be a
circus, but the ramifications are much too serious. As Stanford Professor David
Kennedy states, "The recall is really a nuclear weapon in the political
arsenal."
There is a standard for
removing elected officials from office. If there is malfeasance, corruption or
treason, or if someone is shown to be unfit for office based upon the standard,
there should be orderly succession and the people's government continues. A
privately funded, multi-million dollar petition drive to initiate a recall
election is not the answer. The state is facing an historic budget deficit (as
does nearly every other state), as well as the largest federal budget deficit in
history. In part, this has been triggered by a massive cut in taxes without the
corresponding capacity to generate revenue.
In the last three years, nearly every
state has gone from surplus to deficit, and every state has suffered a net loss
of jobs. All have felt the impact of the corporate exploitation and thievery of
Enron, Halliburton, Harken, MCI, and WorldCom. Corporations are allowed to go
offshore to avoid paying taxes, while getting no-bid contracts.
We are all in a hole. When you are in
a hole, you need a ladder and a rope of hope to climb your way out, not a $60
million golden shovel to dig a deeper hole. If this event in California becomes
a national trend, it can destroy fragile democracies here and impact governments
around the world.
The recall campaign
in California is the latest attempt to dismantle a democratically-elected
process and seek a cheap road to victory. People who cherish democracy should
not take a short cut to victory. Recall is a short cut. Under the radar screen
of the recall, is Proposition 54. Proposition 54 is bad for health care, bad for
public safety, bad for education and bad for business. It undermines America's
promise of "include all under one big tent" and equal protection under the law,
and seeks to roll back the clock on America's struggle for civil rights.
Proposition 54 argues not for privacy, but for ignorance. It is nothing less
than a recall on the historic commitment to civil rights, equal access and equal
protection under the law.
Today, the
legacy of slavery permeates every segment of our society. Racial disparities and
inequalities exist in every facet of our society: health care, education,
employment, housing, criminal justice and business. How can we fight HIV/AIDS
without information? How can we fight cancer without information?
How can we achieve educational equity
without information? How can we fight sickle cell anemia without information?
How can we fight hate crimes without information? How do we fight high infant
mortality rates without information?
Ward Connerly's dream world makes
"information ignorance" a virtue, and puts the nation's health at risk. We live
in the real world: Californians come from many places, many races, religions and
cultures. We are not, and should not be, blind to these realities. We should
embrace the diversity of the new California. That is why a broad coalition of
medical professionals, educators, business groups and chambers of commerce, law
enforcement agencies, public health experts and civil rights organizations have
joined together to oppose Proposition 54.
We seek another direction: our modern
society is information-based, where the collection of data, research and
information is vital to social development. FACTS are critical to learning more
about health disparities, where people of color suffer cancer rates, high blood
pressure, heart disease and other medical problems at much higher rates than the
rest of society. We will not allow Ward Connerly's information ban (Proposition
54) to deprive us of the tools to achieve Dr. King's dream of equal access and
equal protection under the law.
During
these next 30 days, we will engage in a mass voter education and voter
registration campaign, a campaign of voter mobilization and coalition building.
Let's keep our eye on the prize and not succumb to misguided attempts to subvert
the democratic process and turn back our struggle for civil rights.
We can and we will win.
No on Proposition 54. No on the
Recall. Keep Hope Alive.
Posted: Mon - September 1, 2003 at 04:42 PM