To The Editor, Knoxville News-Sentinel:

I'm planning to vote no on constitutional question No. 2. Why? The fact that the Tennessee Municipal League sponsored this amendment is one reason. It speaks for itself.

To me, this is nothing more than an attempt to bypass the jury system. Surely, if the offense is great enough to warrant more than a slap on the wrist, then a jury should decide the penalty. Who knows how high the fines could go and you'd never get a chance to have a jury decide it.

If it isn't important enough for a jury, it probably shouldn't be a law to begin with. So, while the amount currently proscribed may seem silly and archaic, that silliness is in effect helping to protect us from unjust law.

Chris Fortner

Knoxville, TN