Review by Booklist Review
Smith's basic premise is that direct democracy in the form of ballot initiatives is not as untainted by special interests (in contrast to representative democracy, that is) as its supporters would have one believe. He concentrates on antitax ballot initiatives to make his argument that special interests play just as powerful a role in swaying public opinion as they do in influencing individual legislators. Uncovering circuitous money trails and professionally managed campaigns, Smith argues that grassroots support for the initiatives was a facade. His detailed investigation looks at Howard Jarvis, California's Proposition 13, the Los Angeles Apartment Owners Association, and the United Organization of Taxpayers. He suggests that Douglas Bruce's fight to pass Colorado's Amendment I was nothing more than a self-serving campaign to create a fund-raising machine for himself. Smith's research is extremely well documented, and he provides a resource guide for those who want to learn more about the initiative process and current ballot measures. --David Rouse
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review