Vote no on Prop. 2

“Among the numerous advantages promised by a well-constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction.” These words still have significance today. The author’s name was James Madison and those famous words came from The Federalist No. 10, a series of arguments for why we should adopt our U.S. Constitution.

On Feb. 12, Spokane will have an opportunity to uphold our Founding Fathers’ ideology and decide if we have become more tolerable of factions or just as resistant to them as President Madison was.

Created by Seattle special interest group the Washington Policy Center, Proposition 2 would effectively give itself a seat on Spokane City Council by handing the reins to three of the seven council members (a minority). Its supermajority requirement (in this case 71 percent) is nothing more than a special-interest power grab, creating D.C.-style gridlock and exponential frustration for Spokane citizens.

James Madison was right about factions. They do nothing but dismantle democracy and turn our republic to an oligarchy. The Washington Policy Center’s Proposition 2 is just that, a faction. Join James Madison and vote no on Proposition 2.

Kris Byrum

Spokane