EDITORIAL
Recall effort shows worst of money politics

One of the enduring political "reform" debates in Hawai'i over the years has been whether we should institute a system of statewide initiative, referendum and their companion idea: recall.

Supporters of these ideas say they are examples of direct democracy that stimulate the electorate and give individual citizens greater say over the decisions of government.

And those arguments have their appeal.

But there is a darker side to these ideas that may not serve Hawai'i well. We need only look at California to see potential pitfalls.

In the case of initiative (where citizens place a proposed law on the ballot) and referendum (where citizens pass judgment on a law passed by legislators), the California experience has shown that it often turns into yet another political money game.

Big money, often hiding behind shell committees that disguise its real intentions, has little trouble getting its ideas on the ballot and often spends enough to get them passed.

These laws are not tempered by the give-and-take and compromise that make good legislation. They are take-it-or-leave-it propositions.

Initiative propositions are so numerous and often confusingly worded that most voters have little idea how to decide.

Then there is recall, which has been triggered in California for the first time.

This recall drive against Gov. Gray Davis was driven by a $1.5 million contribution from Republican Rep. Darrell Issa (who wants to be governor himself). Now, it is true people are unhappy with Davis for a variety of reasons. But there has been no persuasive evidence that he is guilty of malfeasance or other actions that should require his removal from office.

The real result of the drive is that it has virtually paralyzed California politics at a time the state faces its worst fiscal crisis. Hawai'i can do better than that.