by Matthew Bransgrove | Sep 10, 2015 | Direct Democracy
The ability to ballot people electronically from the comfort of their home, business, or bathtub opens up the possibility of seeking the electorate’s instructions on more than simple ‘‘Yes’’ or ‘‘No’’ propositions. It introduces the possibility of letting the...
by Matthew Bransgrove | Sep 10, 2015 | Direct Democracy
Legislative representatives are the agents of their electorate. Yet far too often they willfully vote against the known wishes of their constituents in deference to the special interest lobbyists who control their re-election hopes. A classic example is corporate...
by Matthew Bransgrove | Sep 10, 2015 | Direct Democracy
It is likewise a fundamental law in democracies that the people should have the sole power to enact laws. And yet there are a thousand occasions on which it is necessary for the senate to enact laws; moreover it is frequently proper to make some trial of a law before...
by Matthew Bransgrove | Sep 10, 2015 | Direct Democracy
From the nature of things, every society must at all times possess within itself the sovereign powers of legislation. —Thomas Jefferson. Rights of British America, 1774. It is the people alone who have the right to decide their own affairs. The right to pass...
by Matthew Bransgrove | Sep 10, 2015 | Direct Democracy
In medieval times, the illiterate, uneducated peasantry were incapable of taking part in government. Today, with near universal education and literacy, the common man is not so common. He typically earns his living with his mind, not his body, and he can access news...
by Matthew Bransgrove | Aug 16, 2015 | Direct Democracy
No government can continue good, but under the control of the people. —Thomas Jefferson. Letter to John Adams, Monticello, December 10, 1819. The nature of representative democracy Representative democracy has always been an imperfect expedient. The ideal would be to...
