Seen a Rogue on the loose? Get in touch with our Roguemeister: JOHN SCHRAG jschrag@wweek.com (503) 243-2122 FAX: (503) 243-1115 Last weekend, the Clinton Street Theater was packed for a showing of This Is What Democracy Looks Like, a movie about last year's Battle in Seattle. The crowd, some of whom had been in the mayhem, cheered as protesters shut down the World Trade Organization and struck a blow to the power of global corporate interests. It was a goosebump-raising portrayal of activism, unity, and the power of the people. Post-WTO, though, there is a nagging question that burns like pepper spray in the eye. Now what? Bring it on home. Vote. There are too many folks in Portland who would rather grab a picket sign than wade through a voter's pamphlet. Too many people using cynicism as an excuse for laziness. Too many people handing our state over to the special interests by shunning the most powerful democratic tool they have. So this week's preemptive Rogue of the Week goes to activists who don't vote. Look at Measure 91, for example, which would provide a massive, billion-dollar-a-year tax cut for the rich. Measure 91 was put on the ballot by Bill Sizemore, a radical conservative backed by hundreds of thousands of dollars in corporate money. If passed, it would further shift the state tax burden away from corporations, like the oft-vilified Nike, to individuals, including the working poor. It will chop a state budget that is already so strapped for money that industrial polluters can thumb their noses at regulators and our hunger rate is one of the highest in the nation. Where are the protesters? Measure 91 isn't the only big-money initiative that threatens the state, but it's the most blatant example of self-interest politics--and it's leading in the polls. While we applaud Portlanders for taking to the streets to protest the International Monetary Fund, there are some things in our back yard that need attending to. Bill Sizemore understands the power of the people. He has said that it's a good thing the poor don't vote because they could take all the money from the rich people. Ballots are mailed out Friday. Grab yours, read it, and mail it back. That's also what democracy looks like.