Why I am Voting “NO” On The Constitutional Convention Question Part 4

In some of the comments that were left on my other posts about the Constitutional Convention, it was rightly pointed out that many states passed constitutional amendments for woman suffrage. That is true, but this is a different era, this is an era of out-of-state special interest groups who have rich pockets. Just Google “out-of-state voter initiatives funding” and you find a vast number of articles on the subject…
From PBS

State ballot initiatives are increasingly coming from out-of-state, funded often by those with a national agenda. This questionable tactic is due to an increasing presence of national interest groups and organizations providing major funding for certain ballot measures to serve as a basis for national policy debates. Ballot initiative backers sometimes use extraordinary and controversial means of collecting signatures to get their initiatives placed on the state ballots.

The LA Times reports…

At least 39% of the $3.3 million supporting Proposition 8’s proposed ban on same-sex marriage has come from outside California – much of it from Focus on the Family, the Colorado Springs group headed by conservative Christian James Dobson.

Opponents have drawn 52% of their $5.7 million from outside the state.

From a 2007 article in the California Progress Report

Powerful out of state interests are contributing millions of dollars for and against California ballot propositions and they don't want you to know who they are. On at least three measures, the pattern is clear. Money is received by an out of state nonprofit organization and then a donation is made in the name of the organization, but the contributors are not known and hide behind the group and a loophole in California law known as the "one bite" rule.
…
"According to online reports from the Secretary of State’s office than 90% of Proposition 90’s contributions have come from:

"$1,500,000 from “The Fund For Democracy” based in New York, New York
$600,000 from “Montanans in Action”, based out of Winifred, Montana
$220,000 from “Club for Growth State Action” out of Glenview, Illinois
$50,000 from “Colorado at Its Best” out of Golden, Colorado"

In Colorado, the Rocky Mountain News reported…

Special interests so far have pumped a record $31 million into state ballot measures, led by energy giants opposing a Colorado tax measure.
…
Companies such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP, ConocoPhillips, Williams, Noble and EnCana contributed $1 million each to raise a stunning $10 million to defeat Amendment 58, a record for a single issue campaign, according to campaign finance reports.
…
Amendment 50: Coloradans for Community Colleges, the committee backing the measure to let casino towns increase operating hours and betting limits, took in another $976,000 from casinos in August. That brought its total contributions to $6.1 million.

Is that the type of government we want, the group with the deepest pockets wins?

I have been lobbying for the Gender Inclusive Anti-Discrimination bill for three years now, we are constantly answering our representatives’ questions about their concerns that they have with the bill. They will not vote in favor of the bill until they learn all of the ramifications that the bill will cause. Watching a thirty-second TV ad will not do that.

As Larry Williams wrote in the Hartford Courant said…

Advocates say it's a path to real democracy, lawmaking by The People. Let the majority rule. But what it actually would allow is mob rule — lawmaking by the loudest, most passionate advocates of radical ideas that can't pass in the General Assembly, where the majority actually does rule.

And I would add, the richest.

Vote “NO” on Question #1 on the Constitution Convention

Read my other thoughts on why I am voting NO
Part1
Part2
Part3