State Policy and the Will of the People

I don’t think there is a simple yes or no answer to the question, “is public opinion, or the will of the people, a sufficient basis for state policy?” First off, we must take into account that we are a representative democracy, meaning that people elect the leaders to represent their views. However, it seems that this is becoming the case less and less. The people’s views are often drowned out by those of special interest groups, corporate lobbies, and self-serving politicians. Like Liz said, when public opinion turned increasingly against the Vietnam War, the government still insisted on trudging on, and the rest, as they say, is history. Not that anything was learned from that history, because today we are embroiled in Iraq, and the government is still ignoring the will of the people.

Although the will of the people must be taken into effective, there has to be a process of public discussion and review before a decision is made. If the will of the people were the sole basis for state policy we would run the risk of becoming a mobocracy, where minorities had no say and the will of the people, regardless of consequences, would rule. There is no such thing as infallibility, and if the people made a rash or informed decision, it could be disastrous.

Fortunately, there is a solution to these problems. First, there must be governmental reform so that the people’s views are accurately and fairly represented. Political corruption must be sought out and punished, and changes must be made so that citizens can more easily and directly participate in government. Secondly, the public must be encouraged (by each other and the government) to participate in government and inform themselves of the issues so that they can make prudent decisions. By fostering vibrant political discourse that involves the public and policymakers, our country can work towards becoming more democratic and building more state policy based on the will of an educated, informed citizenry.

-Gregory Proulx