how would democracy work?

it's fun to imagine an ideal society, one where justice prevails and it never rains on holidays. but it's more challenging to imagine a society that is a step closer to that ideal democracy and can also be achieved. much more challenging because the people with power in the current society will resist, very effectively. further, the great majority of people are so ignorant and apathetic that they are useless in getting changes that would improve their position. so i urge concentrating on getting democracy one step at a time, allowing the 'how it works' to evolve with the process of getting it.

change always begins with people who feel the need for change, and can see a possible way to get that change. it is hard to imagine change if there is no visible tool to achieve it. i will not make much argument for change here, assuming the evidence is clear to the reader. the 'how' may be less evident:

voters can not achieve change by voting for any person. at best, this just changes masters. but voters can 'vote' for democracy. the first step is to get citizen initiative. putting citizen initiated referendum ahead of politician power is a revolution, a transfer of power, but need not be violent or disruptive. a campaign to establish democracy should begin by offering politicians a choice of instituting initiative, or losing office. this kind of revolution is remarkably easy:

send the following email, on the 1st of each month, to every politician asking for your vote, to every newspaper in your area, and the democrat national committee:

"i will vote for you when you publish your plan to establish an effective and accessible power of citizen initiative, and not before."

i said it was easy. now, what about effective? to begin with, people who want to be citizens instead of cattle, must act like citizens. so perform your public duty without regard to popularity, or the likelihood of success. then, publicize your action as widely as you can. finally, know and explain that revolution is not a matter of instant gratification. don't be discouraged: the problems of society that lead you to join the democratic revolution are felt by many others, and there is a latent demand for change which may cascade onto this path toward getting it.