• FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    2 days ago

    I kinda disagree. The biggest problem here is that there are far too many special interests that would submit shit nobody else agrees with, but might get passed because nobody has the time to keep up on all the potential things and look into what they actually mean.

    Imagine if you will some evangelical group trying to ban apple pies because a bunch of their kids managed to get their hands on a copy of american pie. Give the referendum some bland name like “protecting our kids”… then lie about what’s in the bill.

    Okay, it’s a silly premise, but imagine all the special interests groups suddenly crafting law, lying about what the laws would be, flooding the zone with their bullshit and seeing what sticks.

    • chimay@lemmy.world
      OP
      1·
      2 days ago

      I agree that referendums require a well-informed public, exhaustive debate, and a good visibility for each opinion expressed.

      Now, they have it in Switzerland without any major problem that I’m aware of, they still can eat apples. :)

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        2 days ago

        It’s impossible for the average American to be that well informed.

        Let’s do a little exercise. List the legal status of abortion in every state. Weed? Gas leaf blowers? Healthcare.

        I can’t. I doubt there’s many who can.

        Further, “Switzerland does it” is * not* a very good argument. On the practicality side of it, the US is far, far more comparable to the entire EU in population and land area than we are to any given member state.

        In the US, it would become a tool for special interests to advance unpopular agendas by bypassing normal representation, relying on the inability of normal Americans to actually read everything.

        This is why we have representatives in the first place.