True Democracy

So now that we have the technology to allow millions of people to potentially vote on any issue they feel strongly about, exactly why are we still stuck with this trashy electoral system where we elect representatives to voice our opinions? It just seems counter-productive. Why not have a system where every bill can be discussed and voted on by any interested parties? Bills could be tagged according to the sort of content it pertains to, and people could subscribe to particular types of bills, so they don't miss something they might feel strongly about. Just tossing some thoughts out; I don't expect anything like this to actually happen. Feedback, criticism, ideas?

I see what your getting at and Government are heading in this sort of direction I guess with the whole E-Government, eGovernment embraces the use of modern information and communications technologies, particularly the Internet, to provide information about public services and enable the citizen to conduct transactions electronically for those services. Through the creation of a single integrated delivery channel, it produces seamless, responsive and citizen-centric government for the benefit of all. No longer will the citizen be obliged to understand the complex structures of government in order to be able to deal effectively with it.
Instead e-government will enable the citizen to access the exact informationor government service required through a single electronic gateway.
It would take alot of financial aid to set this up. We still are not on the electronic voting system here, which I am glad.

twocows said:

So now that we have the technology to allow millions of people to potentially vote on any issue they feel strongly about, exactly why are we still stuck with this trashy electoral system where we elect representatives to voice our opinions?

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I've wonder that as well. All I know is that it makes a great term paper. I agree with xxemeneminyxx too; there's an unavoidable financial path to cross.

I find it funny that people get to vote once every four years, their vote makes next to no difference, and we still pretend that this is a fair and equal system for all.

If anyone and everyone could put in their two cents on every bill you would have the internet: the greatest repository of nonsense and misinformation the world has ever seen. There would never be a vote on any bill because someone would always be waiting to speak. You'd have no guarantee that everyone's comments would be pertinent to the topic (Not that politicians are always straight forward). So you'd have some nut going on and on about how Obama isn't a citizen of the US when the bill is about inheritance taxes. A fully participatory democracy can't function on such a large scale.

But like a train wreck, it'd still be fun to see.

It's rather improbable when half of the voting populace is too ignorant/apathetic to be able to make an informed decision on every issue. With only the most informed and involved citizens actually taking the time to vote, it would essentially narrow itself down from a true democracy back to a republic again...

Either way I think it will end up the same, not everyone votes because they dont understand the issue at hand because the Government made an incomprehensible view of the issue, either way the same people will vote as they do now and if the Government isn't happy with the answer they'll just put it out again for vote in a few months with a few extra added words here and there and will keep re-issuing this until they get the answer they want (example Lisbon treaty). Governments are curropted and will always be curropted.
I agree with Scarf. But really what is a True Democracy anyway.