A modest proposal: Ask the people to vote on Medicare, Social Security

September 26, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

An excellent idea from Matt Pommer, a longtime Capital Times staffer who now freelances a column that runs in the Daily Reporter, among other places:

Why not ask the voters what they think about Medicare and Social Security?

 Says Pommer:

Let’s have some advisory votes on the future of Social Security and Medicare.

Wisconsin and other populist states have a history of deciding spending issues by the way of referenda in which all citizens can vote. We decide school spending plans and overrides of spending limits by counting ballots. It seems at the heart of a democracy...

The folks in Washington seem hopelessly deadlocked. Perhaps referenda in Wisconsin — state or local votes — could provide impetus to find a solution. A good time for such advisory votes would be next year’s presidential primary. At a minimum, candidates would have to discuss the questions.

Why not put that issue front and center? And what a great opportunity for progressives to organize and educate the public.

There won't be a statewide vote, you can bet, because the Republicans who control the legislature don't want this on the ballot. But there's nothing to prevent county boards, city councils and village or town boards across the state from putting it on the ballot -- and nothing to prevent citizens from organizing to ask them to do it.

How about it?