In Colorado Springs, the Karman Line vote shows power still with the people

This opinion piece reflects the views of John Hazlehurst only and are not endorsed by the Pikes Peak Bulletin.

When addle-brained lawyers, judges and politicians get together to determine our nation's fate, what happens? Nothing good. Let's start with birthright citizenship. The words of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States are simple, direct and understandable:

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

So why are so many slimy lawyers, politicians and sleazeballs promoting such nonsense? The answer is as clear and simple as the Constitution: because Trump wants it.

Unfettered, unchained and uncontrollable, Trump has transformed the Republican party into obedient servants of the Great God Donald.

Whatever Donald wants, Donald gets - although he's as skittish as an unbroken racehorse, and just as dangerous to approach unbidden.

But that's our fate, so don't worry about it. It's best to enjoy and support our own beloved city and state, where we literally have government by, for and of the people.

Consider the Karman Line flagpole annexation, which our then-Colorado Springs City Council approved by a 7-2 vote. Never mind that the area to be annexed was not bounded by the city, and opened the door to similarly unconnected annexations - we hapless citizens were expected to abide by the decisions of their betters. To put it to the voters, an independent petition committee had to get 18,646 signatures from registered voters resident in Colorado Springs. They got that and more - and the voters overwhelmingly rejected the Karman Line annexation with 81.9 percent opposed.

It was a happy reminder of the power of residents to determine their future, and not let it be decided by a handful of elected officials.

It's also interesting to note that the population of the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is now around 800,000 - about one third of the combined populations of the 13 original states in 1776. As one who grew up here in the 1940's, when the MSA in 1950 was about 53,000, I miss that beautiful little city.

Did the vote signal a new era in Colorado Springs politics? It's hard to say, but with four new Councilmembers elected in April it has become an interesting, diverse and unpredictable body. It'll be fun to watch, and hopefully less dogmatic and error-prone than some of their predecessors.

Of course, they'll never approach the brilliance of those (like me - ha!) elected in the 1990s but oh well; I'll do my best to remember our illustrious past, not that difficult when you live on the Westside in a house built in 1899 …