Referendums

[Gawain of Orkeny]

I was wondering if maybe nowdays we could use these a bit more of this in making our laws. It seems to work well in California. Let the law makers draw them up and then let the people vote on them and then let SCOTUS review their constitutionality if it is challenged. I would prefer this over letting those self serving bastards in congress vote on everything for us.

[71-hour Ahmed]

I think you need a yes/ no question for them to work. As long as you can build black and white answers which people can cleanly divide on then they are fine. A lot of issues might be too complex for a referendum and run a risk of giving a mandate to a group who didn't reallly have majority support.

The last referendum we had in my part of Britain was to establish a scottish parliament, and I can't recall there being one before that in my lifetime. So we don't seem to have many over here either, despite all the significant political decisions in recent years.

[Slyspy]

I think you need a yes/ no question for them to work. As long as you can build black and white answers which people can cleanly divide on then they are fine. A lot of issues might be too complex for a referendum and run a risk of giving a mandate to a group who didn't reallly have majority support.

The last referendum we had in my part of Britain was to establish a scottish parliament, and I can't recall there being one before that in my lifetime. So we don't seem to have many over here either, despite all the significant political decisions in recent years.

It wasn't much of a referendum - a policy which changed the nation and yet had no input from most of it? ~;)

[Crazed Rabbit]

We have loads in Washington, and they help a lot in reigning in the spend happy legislature (curse you, democratic voters!) - we got property tax increases cut back, and car tabs - a yearly fee per car to drive on public roads - cut from hundreds of dollars to less than $50 (though the fee is creeping up again).

People power!

Crazed Rabbit

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Now thats what Im talking about. Local government is almost always better. Get the people involved. Give them a reason to go to the polls other than to vote for politicians.

[CountArach]

I wish we had more in Australia. It is the only way that we could make somer serious changes that are necessary. Unfortunately though we have extrememly deep-rooted conservatism, that means that only a handful of the fifty or so referendums we have had have been passed.

But yeah, Direct Democaracy is absolutely necessary.

[Husar]

car tabs - a yearly fee per car to drive on public roads - cut from hundreds of dollars to less than $50
You will pay anyway once you have to have the axes of your car repaired every two months.~;)

On topic, I agree, a few more referendums couldn't hurt, if done nicely, I might even go and vote.