New Idea for Taxpayer Protection Ballot Initiative: Block Ed Martin From Filing Ballot Initiatives

Speaking at last night's term limits forum, Ed Martin let it slip that his "Term Limits for Missouri" organization isn't expected to gather enough signatures for the term limit initiative he filed last December.

"We could gather signatures. I don't know that we will," he said about his proposal to create 8-year limits for service as lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and auditor (the governor and treasurer are already term-limited). Here's video of Martin's comments, courtesy of Show Me Progress: 

Sadly, this fast and loose attitude about the ballot initiative process is standard for Martin. His Missouri Roundtable for Life organization recently filed its 30th proposed initiative in 22 months. 

This year alone, the Roundtable filed 15 initiatives for the 2010 ballot. Of those:

• 5 were rejected for form, and
• 10 were withdrawn AFTER being certified for circulation.

Notably, the Roundtable was the only group in the state to withdraw initiatives after certification for circulation. 

Each of these filings requires considerable taxpayer resources to process and evaluate before they can be circulated. But for whatever reason, Martin and his allies seem oblivious to how their frequent filings and associated legal actions cost the taxpayers so much in time and money. 

To cut down on costs, I'm proposing a new ballot initiative: a prohibition on all ballot initiatives filed by Ed Martin and his associated front groups (I'm still working on the exact language).  Sure, it might be somewhat unconstitutional, but it would (1) cut down on his waste of taxpayer dollars and (2) make sure he gets mentioned by the media a few dozen times.  Heck, we could even call it the Ed Martin Taxpayer Protection Amendment so he could hear his name more often.  Everybody wins!