Should senators or representatives be subject to recall?

The answer to this question is not a simple one, as voters have a right to recall elected senators and representatives when they become dissatisfied with their decisions.  The recall petition process may be different from state to state, but the basic requirements are the same.  They require a specific amount of validated signatures to generate a recall election.  The current law under discussion in relation to recall petitions centers around the collective bargaining law signed by Governor Scott Walker.  I respect the efforts of Wisconsin voters to exercise their rights in generating these petitions, but what appears to be involved is outside entities.  While some individuals involved with the recall petitions may welcome the support from outside Wisconsin, they need to ask themselves one question, “Do they want interference from organizations outside Wisconsin to be involved with decisions Wisconsin voters must decide?”  The manner in which the required signatures are obtained can impact the verification process.  Once signatures are verified, a recall election is scheduled per state requirements.  National groups and organizations outside of the state should not be directly involved.  National groups or organizations who get involved with state issues are interfering with the operations of a state government.

The collective bargaining bill signed by Governor Scott Walker is part of the state budget passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor.  Government costs are a big issue in these times and any effort that increases jobs adds income to the resources of the state.  Recent results for June have reported that over half of the net new jobs created in the country were found to be located in Wisconsin.  Whether you agree or disagree with the actions of any specific legislator, the goal in Wisconsin as in any state was to create an environment to create jobs.  This appears to have been achieved though admittedly it is only one month it is a step in the right direction.

Efforts to remove some senators and representatives are part of the political ramifications associated with the collective bargaining law.  One point about recall petitions needs to be understood.  Just because signatures on petitions are asking for legislators to be recalled through a recall election, it does not mean they will be removed after the results of the election are known.

It is clear that unions are unhappy about the legislation and their rights being limited in negotiating contracts for their members.  This situation with the projected deficit in the state budget required some action be taken to address issues surrounding current and projected expenses.  This same situation is playing out in other states along with the current national debt discussion now being generated.

Voters have a right to voice their opinion about legislation enacted by any state legislature.  They also have the right dependent upon language in their state constitution to generate petitions on issues they want placed on the next election ballot.  The dissatisfaction with the law goes across party lines as voters are unhappy with both Republicans and Democrats surrounding this issue.  Validating signatures on petitions presented to the Secretary of State must be done before any recall election is scheduled.  News reports have indicated that some problems may exist on how petition signatures were obtained.  No petition is valid until all issues with signatures are resolved.

Some reports are indicating that the recall petitions for Republicans may go forward while those involving Democrats need further review.  The point I am making is that the results of any election may be overturned if problems associated with petitions are validated.  This would amount to a waste of taxpayer money in the current tight economy.

I agree that national organizations or groups can be sympathetic to state issues where they have members, but the involvement should stop there.  We complain about our government getting involved with foreign government actions, but we must ask ourselves if national groups or organizations that is involved with state politics are doing the same thing.  If the answer to this question is yes, then we or the voters of Wisconsin should be complaining just as they would if our government was involved with the operations of a foreign country.

I am not disagreeing with the fact that many individuals are concerned about issues raised with some legislative actions in Wisconsin, and I am not trying to make them any less important.  The collective bargaining issues are not restricted to the state of Wisconsin.  States such as Ohio now have the collective bargaining law on the November ballot to either keep or repeal it.  Like Wisconsin, the voters will decide whether the right decisions have been made by their individual legislatures.  Let us hope they are well informed to make the right decision for their respective state.

Related articles

• Wisconsin Recall Elections: Shelly Moore And Sheila Harsdorf Debate, Hosted By Patch.com (LIVE VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• First Wisconsin Senator Retains Seat In Recall Election (lezgetreal.com)
• Wisconsin Recall Elections 2011: Races Unfold Amid Union Law Fallout (huffingtonpost.com)
• Wisconsin Recall Elections: Democrats Hope To Ride Wave Of Momentum From First Victory (huffingtonpost.com)
• Obama’s political wing involved in Wisconsin recalls (genomega1.wordpress.com)
• First Wisconsin Recall Election on Tap (politicalwire.com)