Pandering With Taxpayer Money

Several left-leaning cities have enjoyed going through the motion of approving symbolic resolutions calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush, but one famously liberal Northern California city is actually spending thousands of taxpayer dollars to put a worthless measure on the ballot.

It wasn’t enough for the Berkeley city council to unanimously agree on yet another symbolic impeachment resolution, officials actually want the city’s 76,836 registered voters to decide in the November 7 election. The cost? $10,000.

Undoubtedly, this is a complete waste of taxpayer dollars since only Congress has impeachment powers. This is why other municipalities–most of them in the Golden State–have simply passed resolutions that didn’t require using public funds yet allowed officials to express their dissatisfaction with the administration.

Berkeley officials claim the Bush administration has violated the U.S. Constitution with illegal domestic spying and by using fraudulent claims to justify war in Iraq. One Berkeley councilwoman, Dona Spring, hopes this is the start of a national effort to oust Bush because other municipalities may follow with bogus and costly ballot initiatives of their own.

Even those who oppose the president and his policies are criticizing Berkeley’s actions. Democratic Underground was flooded with comments, many against the rather expensive impeachment message. One said it was a ridiculous waste of time and money. Another called it ostentatious time-wastery and one of the least lovable things about the Bay Area. A Moderate From South Dakota said it is political pandering and a waste of time and money.