State needs smart voters

staff

Editorial Board

At issue:South Dakota citizens have put amendments pertaining to marriage and judicial activism on the upcoming ballot.

Our view:Amendments C and E have been poorly written. Voters should resist supporting suspicious legislation.

This year’s ballot is a grab bag for the gullible. In the midst of worthy candidates and earnest issues lies some of the most pathetic excuses for constitutional amendments to ever appear on a ballot.

They’re officially called Amendment C and Amendment E. Supporters say they’ll protect marriage and stop activist judges.

That’s just stupid. These poorly written excuses for amendments simply prey upon this state’s moralist nature and conservative way of life. South Dakota doesn’t even have a dog in either of those fights.

Read them. They don’t even make sense. Amendment C will essentially ban marriages outside of a church. Amendment E means a convicted felon can strike back against the 70-year-old retired judge that put him away.

Asinine is far too polite a word.

Our system is set up so anyone, with enough signatures on a petition, can bring an issue before the voters. That is significant. That means we trust our neighbors as we trust ourselves. But these amendments take advantage of those of us who do our best to vote our conscience.

That is a great abuse of our system. That will only serve to destroy the trust we hold in each other. Our system only works if thoughtful people bring forward serious issues on which we should all vote.

On election day, reject stupidity. Amendment C and Amendment E only drive us further apart and distract us from the real issues that affect this state.