Not direct democracy, not the rule of the people

[koikaze]

Good Morning, Michael

There is no shortage of material for specific examples (ask the State
of California, it's drowning under them).  The difficulty is selecting
one (or more) where the issues are so clear they are unassailable.

Your question assumes clear-cut opposition to the issue exists or can
be incited.  In other words, you seek to set up sides, "Those who are
for ..." and "Those who are against ..." the issue.  You make no
provision for those whose interest is good government.  In some
instances, an aspect of good government is whether the issue, itself,
is a valid public concern.

The threat to good government is the absence of a sizable block to
protect the broad public interest, as opposed to the narrow interests
that favor or oppose some issue.  You asked for an example, and I
will, with trepidation, give you one:

In my community, we have a bus that travels between the town and the
nearest shopping mall.  As far as I know, the purpose of the bus is to
insure that senior citizens are able to go shopping.  The community
bears the cost of the bus, fuels it, pays a driver, and underwrites
its operation, including maintenance, garaging, insurance, and so
forth.  I have never seen more than two passengers on the bus, and,
more commonly, only one.  Using the local taxi would be incomparably
more flexible and less expensive.

What curmudgeon could raise this topic as an issue?

Fred Gohlke