One Response to “Asking Union Square”

1. Olaf Says:
   April 22nd, 2008 at 1:33 am

   this question really seems to be a few different questions.

   on whether people think that they should have access to direct democratic processes, polls have long showed that the answer is: yes.

   on whether most people want to deal with government on a daily basis, the answer is: no. of course having direct democratic rights to keep representative government accountable and on track doesn’t have to entail anything of the sort.

   and then, more on the framing of this question. it sounds like its leaving the question up to the people that wouldn’t vote anyway.

   asking the apathetic whether they’d like to participate, given their apathy is grounded in a sense of irrelevance and powerlessness taught them by the current system opens up a whole can of worms on civic education, the history of power, deep psychological needs for parental figures, natural sloth, conceptions of human political potential in the mass media, etc..

   nonetheless there is no instance in modern history of a people with the right of initiative, referendum or recall willingly surrendering it.

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