Koehne pointed out that the difficulties involved in such a process are not overwhelming but are in fact "measurable." Inadequate citizen representation in government is not a problem which exists in only one country and as he pointed out "what you see is merely the American variant of a situation found everywhere. . .no one group is responsible for this problem, rather it is the result of trends which effect the whole earth. . .it is independent of social and political variables."
The sense of helplessness that many people find with regard to the political process is common everywhere, said Koehne, resulting in a general negative feeling about politics. There are often things which groups of people want, things which seem feasible, but they are often not carried out. In many cases they were not realistic, but the political machine did not see fit to explain this.
The media is little help in this area also. Seldom do we see discussion in the press with regard to the feasibility of an issue. Instead, there is discussion of politics and political maneuvering, guided by politicians who are working to get re-elected. In frustration, people have come to the conclusion that representative government does not perform.
When things are accomplished, they seem to not be reflective of the ideas of the masses and "it is apparent that the mere periodic election of officials and guarantees of freedoms does not secure meaningful, realistic government."
The word "government" implies the steering of events, not being driven by social forces, but rather causing changes which are realistically possible and satisfying the constituents. But all too often politics is driven by outside forces, it has become "a blindly acting force which needs to be intelligently governed."
Many things have been tried to improve the effectiveness of representational government. There is intense interest in the role of referenda, where citizens vote on a particular issue. This has led to a trend for administrative decentralization, which results in more democracy, reduced costs and better results. This is not merely a subterfuge whereby government drops responsibilities.
But the referendum is too limited a tool to be considered the solution to all of the current problems. They take a tremendous amount of effort to prepare and they only result in a preformulated question with a "yes" or "no" answer. But in places like Switzerland, where referenda are frequently put to use, politicians' moods have been effected. In an effort to avoid referenda, they allow more direct input from their constituents.
The referendum can also be used by politicians with the mindset that it is easier if people choose their own way on some issues than have things forced down upon them. This leads to a more positive feeling about politics.
But as you move beyond the local government and into the realms of state and national government, it seems that efforts to improve government have run into a wall. "How can millions of people meet and come to a consensus about anything?"
It is difficult for any one person to gather the energy to have their voice heard and this is due to the inordinate power of the political establishments. But there is little point in blaming the politicians, says Koehne. Since the origin of democracy in America, the population has grown faster than the government. This problem is compounded by the extensions of suffrage. More and more people have been included in the roles of the constituents. One cannot increase legislative assemblies without making them dysfunctional.
In 1790 there were 9,000 constituents for each representative, today that number has grown to nearly 450,000. Back then your representative was more reachable, this provided another check in the system of checks and balances. The present situation shows that this balance has been lost. The framers of the constitution would not have equated today's government with a representational one. But the problem we have today, argues Koehne, is one of a lack of intelligent organization of the process. "My main point is that we must all give up this absent minded assumption that our current government represents us."
One might approach the question by utilizing the logical input methods, such as letter, opinion polls, and occasional meetings, but these have already proven inadequate. The proposed solution calls for an upgrade in the importance of local meetings, so as to include deliberation on national and state issues. By making all issues fair game for discussion and using the weight of numbers, the government could be effected.
Koehne envisions a day when small groups of citizens will meet in small groups of maybe one hundred and come to a consensus on some major issues. Realizing that the average citizen is not a full time politician, he stated that the current government system should probably remain in place for the day to day operations of the country. But by meeting eight to ten times a year, citizens could keep an eye on the elected officials and induce a profound change in the spirit and attitude of the country.
He warned that we should not be lulled into some false sense of security with regard to the use of electronic means for government input. Citing the possible means for manipulation and a potential lack of control, he warned against the use of such a system to influence the government.
Although the speaker was not adequately able to provide some idea for where the inspiration for such a societal change might come from, the proposed change would be influential. This would be, as Koehne said: "A chance for the people to fully utilize their rights to assemble and petition the government. . .giving our leaders a clear picture of popular mandates, about which they may now only speculate."
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