06 December 2010
Representation Distorts Democracy
Elections are a distortion of the ideals of democracy that was once necessary because of the inefficiency of communications technology. Now that it is possible for citizens to be continually updated on political issues through social media on the Internet, our elected leaders and particularly our representatives at the federal and local levels are losing their raison d’etre. This could be an explanation for the policy-making strategy of the Republican Party in the U.S. Congress. They have acquiesced to the selfish demands of the segment of the public that funds their continuous media-centric election campaigns. The message of those campaigns is aimed at the lower and middle class voting public: the nation’s welfare depends on keeping its wealthiest members happy. Instead of representing the public at large, the conservative members of Congress advocate policies that are favored by the special interests whose contributions make it possible for them to stay in office.
What is unsettling about this development is that the more liberal representatives in Congress, the Democrats, have also fallen into that trap. They have abandoned advocacy of equitably distributing the burdens of government, particularly in the case of income tax rates, out of fear that they will also lose the means to finance their expensive reelection campaigns. This has been done in the name of fostering compromise in government policy-making. But it only proves that everyone on Capitol Hill is more afraid of losing their job than of failing to represent the general interest.
Owing to this result, it is time to take advantage of modern advances in information technology and to reform our governmental system by making it rely on the direct opinions of the public for establishing policy. Our elected officials should be limited to advocating policy options, without the power to adopt any of them. All such decisions should be made by referendum.
Elections are a distortion of the ideals of democracy that was once necessary because of the inefficiency of communications technology. Now that it is possible for citizens to be continually updated on political issues through social media on the Internet, our elected leaders and particularly our representatives at the federal and local levels are losing their raison d’etre. This could be an explanation for the policy-making strategy of the Republican Party in the U.S. Congress. They have acquiesced to the selfish demands of the segment of the public that funds their continuous media-centric election campaigns. The message of those campaigns is aimed at the lower and middle class voting public: the nation’s welfare depends on keeping its wealthiest members happy. Instead of representing the public at large, the conservative members of Congress advocate policies that are favored by the special interests whose contributions make it possible for them to stay in office.
What is unsettling about this development is that the more liberal representatives in Congress, the Democrats, have also fallen into that trap. They have abandoned advocacy of equitably distributing the burdens of government, particularly in the case of income tax rates, out of fear that they will also lose the means to finance their expensive reelection campaigns. This has been done in the name of fostering compromise in government policy-making. But it only proves that everyone on Capitol Hill is more afraid of losing their job than of failing to represent the general interest.
Owing to this result, it is time to take advantage of modern advances in information technology and to reform our governmental system by making it rely on the direct opinions of the public for establishing policy. Our elected officials should be limited to advocating policy options, without the power to adopt any of them. All such decisions should be made by referendum.
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