Representative democracy is a great improvement over absolute monarchy and dictatorships because we have the freedom to criticize the masters and to change them.
In authoritarian and totalitarian regimes,ruler has no less power over you than the farmer over his chickens.
Direct democracy pushes democracy further; it makes us the masters of the politicians. Because of that, the lobbies who, with their “donations”, nice jobs for politicians and, sometimes, outright corruption, lose all relevant influence too.
With direct democracy, the ordinary citizens, the voters decide what issues are important enough for them to decide, and they decide them.
In a direct democracy, the elected politicians have to follow the instructions of the people; there is no issue with politicians not keeping their promises. In the first place, the politicians can not promise much.
Direct democracy also reduces parties to opinion groups without much power.
How do I know all that? How I am so sure? Because that is what they do in Switzerland at the local, cantonal (state, province] and, this is crucial, at the national level too.
By the way, in the US, in states like California, they do not have real direct democracy because they have it only at the state level and because the decisions of the people can be overturned by the courts, among other shortcomings. To equate California-style direct democracy with Swiss-style direct democracy is to show ones ignorance, or worse.
To not support the evolution from representative democracy to direct democracy and to complain about the politicians, is foolish, very foolish.
Victor Lopez
