Regarding the special legislative session called by our governor:
I am afraid I may be writing too late, as a special session has already begun in Jefferson City. I have left messages for State Rep. Bennie Cook and State Sen. Brad Hudson. Gerrymandering of the Kansas City area district is the main reason the session was called. Gerrymandering is wrong, whether it is done in Texas, California or Missouri.
Redistricting is almost always done in 10-year cycles after the census is complete. At the request of the president, Texas started this row by passing legislation aimed at gerrymandering five of its districts. Political gerrymandering takes away the voices of the people, disenfranchising the ability of people to be heard on important issues. California was put in a bad situation when Texas moved to disenfranchise many of its voters.
California was known in the past for being a heavily gerrymandered state. But people active in the political process fixed that problem with fair districting. Fair districting is possible. It is understandable that the powers that be in California feel like they are being sucker punched by Texas and want to respond in kind. But actions of this kind will only lead to more and more division.
In Missouri, only two districts out of nine are not clearly Republican “safe” districts. If the legislature succeeds in their efforts there will be only one non-Republican district left. And a lot of angry voters that feel like they are being shut out of the political process.
Dear reader, are you comfortable with having little or no chance for other ideas and opinions to be aired? Is winning more important than hearing the voices of the people? How will gerrymandering affect our future? How will it affect our ability to solve our problems? Will total power just swing back and forth cruelly like a pendulum, leaving those with different ideas no recourse or way to be heard? Will a president, bent on having powers beyond what the constitution allows, be allowed to behave more like a dictator than a person elected by the people? Should not a president execute the powers of his office for the constitutional benefit of all the people?
I hope Mr. Cook and Mr. Hudson see this letter. And I am asking you to call them and tell them to stop this legislature from gerrymandering an already gerrymandered Missouri. Please support true democracy, where the voices of all the people rise up and are heard.