O My America: If We Each Had a Line-Item Veto

by Lawrence Bush
A question I’ve been contemplating lately, as I witnessed the ultra-democratic spirit of the Occupy movement:
If America were run on a referendum basis — every voter has a computer, and every policy decision that is currently handled by Congress would be decided instead by direct vote (Congress could formulate legislation, but direct vote would determine its fate) — how many progressives would feel comfortable with that?
Not a majority, I would guess. Because the results — manipulated by corporate monies, lobbied and corralled by wealthy interests, pumped up by Rush Limbaugh, preached about in the mega-churhces, with endless, endless campaigning for our votes — would probably be awful. As awful as the results our existing system produces, and a whole lot noisier.
Okay, what about this: a line-item veto for every tax-payer. We have to pay our taxes, but we get to indicate how the money gets spent. Somehow, I feel more comfortable with this, because I think the working majority would give less money to the military, more money to social and economic development, more money to health and education, more money to the environment . . .
But why do I feel distrustful about direct democracy for law-making, yet okay about it for tax-spending? Hmm . . .
What’s your opinion?
Meanwhile, here’s a link to a vivid presentation by Peter Kim of how our tax dollars are currently spent — and all of the social ills and failures that we suffer in spite of our spending.