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0 pointsmrguyorama5mo ago0 comments

>California is a modern example of why republics are more stable than pure democracies

California is one state among 50. People using it as an example of some sort of government being bad are objectively in bad faith.

Please inform me how my state's citizen referendums are bad? We are about to have a vote on voter ID laws, which I do not approve of, but what's important is that the people who care are able to have their will made manifest, and it will actually go up for a vote.

Meanwhile nordic countries have vastly more direct democracies and don't have the problems you insist.

If you cannot make your argument without california, you do not have an argument, because california's shitty government predates democrat control, because it was always built as this crazy world where rich and connected people had control. California's government is built wrong, not because of democracy, but against it.

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JumpCrisscross5mo ago

> inform me how my state's citizen referendums are bad?

Straw man. Nobody claimed this.

> nordic countries have vastly more direct democracies and don't have the problems you insist

What are you referring to? “Finland has traditionally relied on the representative form of government, with very limited experience of the deployment of the referendum in national decision-making” [1]. And while Sweden and Norway have referenda, neither has binding referenda on demand or even a requirement for referendum to amend the constitution [2].

> if you cannot make your argument without california, you do not have an argument

California features the largest and most powerful direct-democratic institution, its referenda, in America. It’s going to come up when we discuss direct democracy.

That said, I have no idea how you reach my comment and conclude that California is not only the only argument I make against direct democracy, but even essential to it.

> california's shitty government predates democrat control

Are you mixing up direct democracy and rule by Democrats, the party?

[1] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-24796-7_...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendums_by_country

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