WWJD?

What Would Jefferson Do? Always a good question to ask when considering, say, whether or not legislators should obey the constitution, or whether the citizens should be allowed to use the initiative and petition process to protect their laws from judicial tyranny.

Jefferson had quite a bit to day about the concept of the consent of the governed. He was also opposed the idea that judges are "angels to govern us," and believed that letting judges--not the people--act as the final arbiters of the law "would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy."

If only a majority of Massachusetts legislators didn't need a dictionary to understand the terms "despotism" and "oligarchy," the rule of law might stand a chance on Beacon Hill today.