BE OUR GUEST: KING CARNAHAN I VERSUS HANCOCK II

If there was any doubt we needed the Hancock II amendment (appearing on the ballot as Amendment 7) to affirm the constitutional authority of the people over government, the outrageous conduct of Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan in opposition to our grass-roots citizen initiative is proof positive.

Carnahan has displayed an arrogance of power which is truly breathtaking. After all, King Carnahan was elected. He does not rule by divine right.

Under his administration, government officials have harassed and interfered with the right of citizen petition carriers by chasing them off state property and threatening merchants who permitted carriers to collect signatures near their establishments.

Government agencies, using taxpayer resources, have sent out press releases and other propaganda in opposition. State colleges and public schools have even used taxpayer funds to print and mail anti-Hancock II propaganda.

Officials from the governor on down the line have traveled the state at taxpayer expense to spread lies and Chicken Little horror stories about the impact of the initiative.

All of these actions are a clear violation of Section 115.646 of Missouri election law, which explicitly prohibits the "contribution or expenditure of public funds ... to advocate, support, or oppose any ballot initiative."

The most outrageous example of these shameless, heavy-handed tactics is Carnahan's shocking appeal to judges at a recent meeting of the Missouri Judicial Conference asking the judges to speak out and oppose Hancock II openly.

All citizens should be deeply dismayed at the idea of a governor inciting judges to violate their own ethical standards by intervening in purely political matters. This is even more objectionable when one considers that several cases involving the Hancock II initiative are now pending before Missouri courts.

But the governor went further. He raised the specter of reduced resources of the judiciary, sending a not-too-subtle message that judges should speak our or else. By inferring personal financial consequences for judges, Carnahan is subverting the independence of the judiciary.

In reviewing Carnahan's abuses, one is reminded of another taxpayer revolt against a tyrannical and rapacious government: the American revolution. Indeed, King Carnahan's brazen abuses of power would probably make England's King George blush.

Consider some of the complaints of the American colonists against King George as stated in our own Declaration of Independence and compare it to life under King Carnahan.

Item One: "He has obstructed the administration of justice. ..." Just like King George, King Carnahan is interfering with the impartial administration of justice, making an open appeal to the judiciary to take a side and fight Hancock II.

Item Two: "He has made judges dependent on his will alone for ... the amount and payment of their salaries." King Carnahan's address to the Missouri Judicial Conference clearly implied a threat to judicial salaries.

Item Three: "He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance." King Carnahan is just as tax-happy as King George ever was, and the bureaucracy created by his state takeover of education will put King George to shame.

Item Four: "For imposing taxes on us without our consent." King Carnahan's railroading through of the 1993 $310 million tax hike without a vote of the people makes King George's Stamp Act look trivial. If anything does, this one item proves that King George and King Carnahan are brothers in tyranny.

Item Five: "For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the form of our government." By so blatantly violating the original Hancock amendment with his 1993 tax hike, King Carnahan has defied the Missouri Constitution. Should his actions stand, Missourians have surrendered their constitutional form of government.

About the only think King Carnahan hasn't done is order the National Guard out to prevent us from voting for Hancock II on Nov. 8. Is that next?

Hancock II is now about more than just whether or not you think the people ought to be able to vote on new tax increases. It is about our freedom, and about standing up to King Carnahan, a genuine tyrant in our midst.

Mel Hancock of Springfield is the author of the original Hancock amendment and currently is a congressman from Missouri's 7th District. He is honorary chairman of the Hancock II Committee.