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# Let’s remind leaders we chose them to lead
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/lets-remind-leaders-we-chose-them-to-lead/
- Published: 2006-01-31T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T23:09:15.000Z
- Author: David Pisarra
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*WHAT’S THE POINT?*

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court took a stand on right-to-die legislation. They said that, essentially, each state should be allowed to determine for itself the regulation in this hotly contested area of the law and ethics. That led to some of the California legislators indicating that they would be reviving (pardon the pun) our own right-to-die legislative attempts. The Governor, in campaign mode now, has strongly indicated that he would veto any bill that the legislature passed on the matter, saying that this is a topic that should be put to “the people.”

He sidestepped, disclosing his own views on the issue by doing so. Again.

I find it curious that a man who so loves to be in charge, and who wanted to be a leader, has, on the major issues to come before him, abdicated his role, downplayed the significance of the legislature, and continues to attempt to make the citizens of the state do, what we sent the legislators to Sacramento to do.

The public votes for politicians to do the work that they, as citizens, have neither the time, nor the desire to do. Frankly who wants to spend hours each day listening to lobbyists extol the benefits of some new waste treatment system, or sit in those endless hearings where they each blather on, solely to make that one sound bite that will be their next campaign slogan? No, we send people to Sacramento, the same way we send people into our sewers, to get a job done, and please don’t tell us about it, just that the problem is solved.

When the governor refuses to sign a bill, or veto it, on its merits, he is sending a message to the public that he doesn’t really want to be nailed down on a particular topic. The reason why is, he’s running for re-election and doesn’t want it used against him. It’s chicken manure, and we should remember it at the polls.

He did this with the Gay Marriage act. It was the first time in this country’s history that a legislative body had taken such a positive step towards equality for gay people. The Governor abdicated his responsibility again, only this time he said the courts should decide if gay people should be treated equally in this state. When is he going to do his job?

The second thing that happened last week was the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committees vote on Judge Samuel Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a lady who generally I agree with, voted against confirming Judge Alito. Her vote was one of eight votes against the judge. This was a strictly partisan vote, as all Republican senators voted for, and all Democratic senators voted against, confirming Alito.

Again, this is not leadership, this is pandering to an electorate. I find it impossible to believe that of the eight votes against Judge Alito, not one person felt that the judge was qualified to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. This man, who is already a sitting Federal Appeals Court Judge, clearly has the knowledge, experience and temperament to be a Supreme Court Justice. To oppose him, based solely on his perceived politics, and how those play out against ones constituents, is cowardly. Senator Fein-stein voted in lockstep with the rest of her Democratic colleagues, and I think that she did a disservice to the State of California by doing so. By representing that we, as a State, do not want someone who is so completely qualified, she is making us look like a unthinking, dogmatic bunch of yokels.

I can guarantee that I will not agree with everything that Justice Alito will do. But I will never say he is not qualified to hold the position.

All of this politicking makes me think about the qualitative differences between having a lifetime appointment like a Supreme Court Justice, and the need of a politician to constantly be in campaign mode. Politicians become shark-like in their need to always be moving towards food to stay alive. In the elections game, food equals money. To get money, a politician must be liked, which is why they are always sucking up to groups and never want to take a position on a topic.

The Supreme Court Justice with the lifetime appointment, on the other hand, is free to make decisions based on their experience, and according to their interpretation of the law. They have no constituency once they are in their respective offices. That is what is good about lifetime appointments, it is what allows them to change their minds, review matters and do what is right.

No one wants to give a politician a lifetime appointment to anything. But the converse of that might be better. If politicians were only elected once to an office, and then faced a lifetime ban on holding that office again, perhaps they would vote their conscience and do what is right.

I want a leader to lead, to show me that they have a vision beyond that of the masses. The point of being in charge is to get things done, not pass the responsibility to the courts when you don’t like facing the consequences of a decision, or putting it back on the electorate to decide life and death issues. These people are paid to educate themselves on the issues far beyond what the general population can or ever will do. It is their job to make the hard calls, and if they can’t do it, then we should get someone in there who will.

The Governator said he would, but the facts speak for themselves. He wont lead. (David Pisarra is a business development lawyer in the Santa Monica firm of Pisarra & Grist. He welcomes your questions and comments. He or 310/664- 9969.)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 31, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/013106.pdf?ref=smdp.com)