It is a shame that a state House committee Wednesday wouldn’t even allow a plan to let voters decide whether they want a new Alabama constitution get to the House floor for debate.It is even more of a shame that among those helping to halt the measure were Steve Hurst, D-Munford, who represents part of Talladega County, and Randy Wood, R-Anniston, who represents a portion of St. Clair County.
The bill was simply a chance to the let the people of Alabama have a voice in whether or not they want a new constitution for this state. It is a basic principle of government to let the people have a say in how they are governed, yet this committee said ‘no.’
We’ve heard the arguments against a constitutional convention – that it could lead to higher taxes, legalize gambling or cause a loss of property rights.
We’ve heard the arguments for a constitutional rewrite – that the constitution is more than 100 years old and centralizes the power in Montgomery instead of local communities and is the most amended constitution in the country.
But that wasn’t what this bill was about. It was about the people’s right to decide, and it’s a shame that lawmakers again are standing in the way of their constituencies’ basic right.
While the issue is now moot in the House, it is not completely dead in the Legislature. A similar bill in the Senate is still alive, and we encourage its passage out of committee and in the Senate as a whole.
This more than a century-old document has not withstood the test of time, it has been amended some 700 times because of its ineffectiveness. Lawmakers have been unable to change it article by article in the Legislature, so Alabama continues to bump along with laws that require amending in virtually every election cycle.
It is time the people stepped in and made their voices heard. It deserves an up or down vote – not by lawmakers, but by the people themselves.
Urge your senator to let you have a say. All the bill asks is that the people have a chance to decide.
