By Doug Vaughn Victor
This vote is a rare opportunity for residents to reassess our current form of county government. Of course, as you can see on the ballot, the government is not in favor of it. The ballot language focuses on costs, not opportunities, for residents.
The reason the government is opposed is because the people have the power to take back some of the authority and power that they have taken from the government.
Remember when commissioners tried to audit their local county elections and the Secretary of State said they didn't have the right to do so? Or, most recently, when the County Attorney refused to approve a citizen initiative to put an issue on the ballot? These are the kinds of rights that have been ceded to multiple levels of government for decades, since the mid-1970s. Ravalli County must ask permission from the state to exercise your rights!
Most citizens have no idea how Ravalli County government actually works. It is very similar to the ignorance and unfounded beliefs I suffered from. I believed that any candidate with an “R” after their name proved themselves to be a genuine Republican. After joining the County Republican Central Committee (RCC), I learned, alas, I was wrong. The establishment RCC absolutely refused to question any candidate to ensure they were Republican. This is another example of elected officials sacrificing your rights. The Central Committee level is the only place in our system where candidates are vetted to ensure they are who they claim to be.
Today, you can be sure that the “Republicans” endorsed by the Republican Central Committee are true Republicans. Just as we fought last fall to wrest control of the Republican Central Committee from power, the opportunity to take back your rights from power at the state level is in your hands. Electing the right candidates and ignoring the machinations of power is the only way to reclaim the authority given to you by our Founding Fathers.
