I think that representative democracy works, while direct democracy has very mixed track record. Generally the public should not be weighing in on issues. The

I think that representative democracy works, while direct democracy has very mixed track record. Generally the public should not be weighing in on issues. The problem is that the public doesn't have the attention, interest or background to address more than a small number of issues. The issues that they do address are not necessarily important ones, but ones that the editorial boards of mass media think will attract eyeballs and sell ad space. The discussion is then led by special interest groups that are funded by interested parties. The result is a lot of heat among some narrow segment of the population but not much useful work.