Low Turnout for Election

Democracy has been compared to a vote among four wolves and a sheep as to what they will have for dinner. The tendency of democracy toward majoritarian tyranny is the reason why our forefathers established this nation as a republic and that is why The Times should reconsider its editorial “Silencing the Voting Majority” (April 12).

As was demonstrated April 9, only the ideologues and the special interests vote in midterm elections. The two-thirds majority required to impose taxes or general obligation bonds on the citizenry is not a “silencing of the majority” but a design to prevent politically powerful minorities (or even the wealthiest 50.1% of the populace) from imposing long-term financial obligations on all of us.

In this age of special-interest domination of our political process, it is the only check left against the very real possibility of property owners finding themselves liable when state and local governments cannot meet the payments on the billions of dollars in general obligation bonds.

TOM BLAIR, San Pedro