But the other America? It has increasingly sought to stop such decision-making by voters. Throughout the 23 states with meaningful initiative processes, legislatures and powerful special interests seek to tie the process up in a myriad of restrictions from who can circulate a petition to how they can be paid.

And when citizens overcome all the red tape and collect hundreds of thousands of signatures on petitions, the powers that be sometimes resort to . . . well, I'm searching for the word . . . tyranny? . . . making-it-up-as-they-go? . . . insanity?

Windbags Sweeping Down the Plains
Just weeks ago the Oklahoma Supreme Court threw out a petition which, if voted on and passed, would have mandated that 65 percent of school funds be spent in the classroom actually teaching kids. Supporters call it "The 65 Percent Solution." In Oklahoma only 58 percent of education funds are currently spent in the classroom.

The Oklahoma State School Boards Association challenged the petition in court. The group's executive director, Dr. Keith Ballard, argued that "Other areas would have suffered greatly," and pointed out "the great resistance that this had in the education community."

In which America does the "education community" reside? I know that in my America there are plenty of parents who certainly like to spend education money in the ol' classroom . . . where their children just happen to be. But those in the education community aren't necessarily for education as such.

The legal case charged that the "gist statement" on the petition had been incomplete and misleading. Different Americas can, I suppose, argue endlessly over whether a certain statement captures the gist of a proposition well enough. Face it, we still have no consensus on what the meaning of the word "is" is.

But the gist statement should not be grounds for throwing out the petitions of hundreds of thousands of citizens. After all, the statement is not mandated by Oklahoma's constitution; it is yet another legislative add-on. One now twisted to block the clear will of the people.

The suit was not brought by the people signing the petition, but by the very interests who want to keep spending that money outside the classroom. Truth is, if any citizen had been unsure of the measure after reading the gist statement, he could have either chosen not to sign the petition or read the full text of the proposed law, which the state's constitution has always mandated be placed on every petition.

One Oklahoma school board member defended the court's decision by arguing that signing petitions rarely involves "thoughtful consideration from the signatory."

Those in the other America think self-government is too far beyond the reach of most Americans, so they'll decide for us. They are always eager to protect us from the awful rigors of decision-making.

There you have it: One America seeks to live in freedom, wanting choices at the mall as well as at the ballot box.

The other America desires to live in power. Thus, the politicians promise to give us everything. Except that elusive freedom to really choose.

The future of America depends on who wins.

Which America will it be?