The methods by which our nation's system of democracy functions have turned into a slick mud hole of deception.
It seems like disputing the ballot process or - in the case of the latest issue with the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative - a signature-gathering technique is the best way to oust a rival who differs on an issue.
History is repeating itself as the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI, is being challenged by By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN, a political group dedicated to keeping affirmative action a part of the process in which university admissions and job hiring are decided. In 2004, MCRI sought to impose a ban against affirmative action. The language in its petition was questioned and brought before the state Board of Canvassers. The board found that the wording could be used.
Recently, BAMN again called out the initiative; saying the wording in its petition was, yet again, confusing. It has alleged that the initiative tricked people into signing something they didn't understand.
Regardless of the fact that it should be common practice to thoroughly scan any document you might lend your John Hancock to, BAMN's accusations and the suspicion that surrounds the initiative makes the whole situation trite.
Whatever happened to good, old debate and trying to defend your beliefs through hard facts? Nowadays, it seems easier to deceive people with wordy language or file a lawsuit and call someone's methods unjust.
The publication of stories about faulty ballot machines and vote tampering seems to have been more frequent since 2000, when President Bush defeated Al Gore in the highly controversial presidential election. As you might recall, many people adamantly insisted that foul play was involved in the election's ultimate result.
Since that time, the ramifications of the election have led to questions being raised nationwide in state and local elections. The issue reared its head again during the November election, in what appeared to be a clear win for President Bush.
So, now who do you trust? Who is meddling and who is crying wolf? The political process shouldn't be like that - especially on a statewide level with an issue such as affirmative action that can impact so many.
Right, left, conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican - what these sides are doing is weakening their own power. Such actions only suggest to people that their vote doesn't matter. They begin to assume an election or ballot proposal is rooted in cheating and mud slinging.
The only way to galvanize people to take interest in an issue such as affirmative action is to help them understand the relevance it has to their lives. Show them how important, or unimportant, it is to society.
Even if they might not always know it, people want to take part in deciding what they, or others, can or can't do. If enough signatures are fairly collected, this issue should be on the 2006 ballot. If enough people truly agree with MCRI, the issue deserves to be battled in the voting booth, not before.
