Do you believe that most of the time the will of the people is the best?

Question

or do you believe most of the time insiders with far more knowledge of what is best for our country actually know best?

I understand that nothing is 100% perfect and right all the time, but if you had a choice between all big laws being implemented by an elite few who "knew best" and had all the facts, or going on based on polls of the people, which would you lean towards?

For example, if a vote was needed to deal with the immigration crisis or whether to have policies that encourage companies to outsource their manufacturing overseas, or perhaps a vote on whether or not to grant President Bush his most recent request of Billions of dollars for the Iraq situation, etc..

Like I said, I know that the people can be wrong sometimes, just like a few elite can get it wrong too, but the question is ...if you had to choose one method of governance over the other, which do you think would be better for the country?

Answer 1

Well, if people voted on every law, we wouldn't have to elect representatives, or presidents, or governors...etc.

I don't think the public could make informed and correct decisions in most instances.

There are a lot of self-serving and fickle idiots out there.

Answer 2

I would bet the ranch that everyone who answers and does not unequivocally say that the voice of the people is best is a republican. Sure they will sugar coat it and say things like the people are not well informed or that there are many idiots in the people, but that is really code for saying, "I would prefer that the elite few call the shots". Hitler agreed, there is a quote of Hitler saying something to the extent that decisions are best made by one man or a small group of men rather than listening to the people, because the people were actually mostly morons. Now is it a coincidence that your view agrees with Adolf Hitler?

Answer 3

The whole idea on which this country is founded is that the people are wise enough to rule themselves, in fact they are the only proper rulers.

The thing is, people have to have the information they need to make decisions. American-style democracy depends on a free press and also a press that reports honestly, not media only trying to make a quick buck by hyping stories, or media that sells out to one party or the other.

I think that's the problem we have today. Half the media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Republican Party and feeds its listeners a steady stream of spin, one-sided news, and even lies. The other half of the media is only interested in profits and tells people what they want to hear, or blows lurid stories all out of proportion. In elections they treat the candidate with the most money as the presumed winner and all the others as insignificant 'also rans'. You can get the -real- news on the Internet but it takes some effort.

And politicians have learned to manipulate the media, in fact they've made it into an art! The illegal immigration problem, for instance, is one of their 'weapons of mass distraction'--not that it isn't a serious problem but in the whole scheme of things it ranks about no. 20. There are much more serious problems that threaten us but politicians don't want to talk about them because they're not as easy to hype up, and there are no simple answers like: "Let's build a wall along the border!"

How many stories have you heard in the news lately about the shrinking value of the dollar? This is happening because of our ballooning deficits, but nobody wants to talk about that because it's -depressing-! At this point, that is our worst problem. In the 1970s we had double-digit inflation and double-digit interest rates because of (1) a huge debt from a long, unproductive war and (2) a sudden doubling of the price of gasoline. Sound familiar? 8^)

Answer 4

Yes, there is a collective wisdom that emerges out of a large group, IF the group is well informed.

So I think it would be great if the people had the right of referendum or initiative on major issues such as the ones you have listed. The politicians and the press would have to inform the people of the true facts, or risk disaster as well as defeat. It would be a real check on them.

Answer 5

Because the angel Gabriel advised me that Jimmy Carter will emerge as the Antichrist aka Dajjal (eighth King in Rev. 17) and he's going to serve a further time period in workplace after the dying of Obama (seventh king). The angel Gabriel advised me in Aug. 1973 whilst i used to be in Phillipsbrug, Montana that Jimmy Carter will emerge as the Anti-Christ, and that he's going to difference his identify, and divorce his spouse! Obama goes to die first after which the Anti-Christ aka Dajjal who used to be one of the crucial earlier 7 Presidents will take his position! Rev. 17:10 And there are seven kings: 5 are fallen, and one is, [and] the opposite isn't but come; and whilst he cometh, he need to retain a brief area. All 7 kings have been all alive till the dying of Ronald Reagan June five, 2004 whilst George W. Bush used to be in workplace ; a million. Gerald Ford two. Jimmy Carter three. Ronald Reagan four. George H. W. Bush five. Bill Clinton 6. George W. Bush.... is spoken of within the gift irritating (and one is) in view that till Reagan died (June five, 2004) all 7 have been alive! 7. Barack Obama.......and one is but to come back! He will die a couple of days after he increases taxes! Obama could also be in Dan. eleven:20 Then shall get up in his property a raiser of taxes [in] the honour of the dominion: however inside few days he will likely be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in wrestle. Rev. 17:eleven And the beast that used to be, and isn't, even he's the 8th, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Answer 6

We elect those people we feel best qualified to make decisions on our behalf. Most of us are not familiar with reading policy and certainly don't have the insider info that insiders do. there is no question but that the majority is uninformed and ill prepared to make major decisions for this country.

Answer 7

The sheer mass and complexity of issues simply doesn't lend itself to everybody being informed enough to vote on everything. But we do weigh in on how our chosen representatives have done on a regular basis. Our system, like every other, isn't perfect, but it's better then mob rule.

Answer 8

The problem with democracy is the number of stupid people involved in the decision-making process.

Answer 9

I think that it depends directly on the intelligence level of the population.