Always Go To The Decision-Makers

I have believed for some time now that we people who live in democracies need to remember that fact.  We live in democracies.  We need to behave like it.

The United States of America just completed another election cycle.  The President is a Democrat with his own perspective and agenda.

The Senate is majority Democrat with its own collective perspective and agenda.

The House of Representatives is majority Republican with its own collective perspective and agenda.

So the USA has a mixed Congress and a seemingly less ideological President than could be the case.

Seems like a perfect opportunity to represent the citizenry's many individual interests I have a habit of including in two broad perspectives, demand side and supply side.

This article in Huffington Post (http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20121116145626-143695135-the-president-asked-us-to-push-him-here-s-a-to-do-list-to-get-us-started?trk=eml-mktg-condig-118-p1) suggests to me that the President is well-advised to directly engage the Citizens of the USA to keep their elected representatives in both Houses of Congress on their toes, seeking win-win policies that enable both views to progress without hindering the other.

Seeing as neither the demand nor the supply side of society can succeed without the other, it has always seemed ridiculous to me that one or the other should obstruct the business of government.

When the People realize their interests are being met by no one, or less so by one or the other, the current crop of representatives can expect a very short stay in the positions.

In fact, if the two political organizations that lead and control representatives' engagement in government business are themselves seen to be irrelevant, or worse, obstructionist of the People's interests, can their existence be assured?

Perhaps more importantly, everyone tries harder when the folks are watching and engaged.  I have met a few elected officials and I have never met one of any party who did not take constituents' issues seriously.  Given that genuine interest on a person-to-person basis, I have high hopes for the Direct Engagement With Citizens approach, going over the heads of the elected representatives directly to those in charge, the citizens.