In all fairness, "knowing how the internet works" is a gargantuan task. I doubt even many HN members could comment without making a mistake at the SOPA hearings as well.
The fact remains that something like congress (a group of people to vote on literally everything we do) is required in a democracy, and "a group of people" is never going to know everything there is to know about everything.
There are probably a million farmers out there as well who strongly believe that congress should understand the genetic modification of seeds, for example.
I don't think knowing how the internet works is a gargantuan task. The basic concepts, though abstract compared to the physical world, are rather simple: addressing, routing, name resolution...
The tough part is knowing how unpredictable humans and their demands will affect network performance at any given point at any given time. What's worse is mixing in geography and politics, corporations and "peering agreements," etc.
Fair enough, as my grandfather wouldn't consider learning seed germination and modification techniques a gargantuan task either, it's quite simple in his eyes.
To fully understand a new topic every day enough to vote on is the gargantuan task I should have been referring to.
Isn't that why there are committees responsible for coming up with specific legislation? You shouldn't need all the members to understand all the topics.
I thought that this is what aids are for, congressmen hire young hopefully smart ideologically compatible aides who reasearch topics and write good summaries explaining the issues involved.
The fact remains that something like congress (a group of people to vote on literally everything we do) is required in a democracy, and "a group of people" is never going to know everything there is to know about everything.
You aren't convincing me that this is a great idea.
The problem you've raised is one that actually is addressed by the way that bills become law in the US (whether it works or not is a whole different question...).
Congressional bills go through a committee process where in theory people who've dealt with similar laws before learn about the particular subject matter, hear from experts and then decide on whether the bill should proceed: http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/legislative-branch#....
I disagree with the necessity of having them vote on everything we do being required for democracy. The only case where that is required is if we can't think for ourselves. And honestly if we can't think for ourselves we got no business electing people.
All we need are a few simple rules which limits/prevents the initiation of aggression, courts to enforce contracts and a a small army to prevent invasions. It doesn't require much work -- at most a weekend a month.
The fact remains that something like congress (a group of people to vote on literally everything we do) is required in a democracy, and "a group of people" is never going to know everything there is to know about everything.
There are probably a million farmers out there as well who strongly believe that congress should understand the genetic modification of seeds, for example.