Would a U.S. equivalent of Question Time help to hold our government more accountable?
967057
Question time is one of the great institutions in British politics.  I would love to see it here but it will never happen, especially since it puts the president on the spot so much.  I see Blair and his quick wit and sharp tongue giving as good as he gets and shudder to think of President Bush in a similar situation.   I shudder for 2 reasons:  \nFirst the American political ethic is somewhat less confrontational in real debate.  In Question Time, often the speaker is asking or responding directly, personally to the opposition. (I love the chorus of boos and groans that often accompany the interchange).  While the debates of American politics are many, they always seem so staged it is like watching a play; the spontaneity of Question Time is anything but staged.\nSecond, it requires a quick wit and often sharp tongue.  Can you think of presidents of the recent past and imagine them in such a role?  Carter would whine, Reagan would be great, Bush Sr, would spout figures and facts, Clinton would be probably the best as he is easily the finest off the cuff speaker in modern times and George W.... well, we shudder to think.
435070
That could be interesting. Imagine if you could set up citizenship-timeshare mechanisms over the web to provide a fast supply and demand type of mechanism that would allow for the fast use of citizenships to supply the needed workforce for evry country in the world ...
926440
no, i must make time for answers!
520587
The situation is already critical.  I think they should start purging questions more than a month old.  Technology moves fast, and so does life!
876926
voting would be much easier if there was better information being passed out in the news. Or if flyers were posted a couple of weeks ahead of time so that people could read and understand all the wordings.
878762
I think it is a horrible idea. The general population is far to ignorant to make informed decisions. Note that I'm not calling people stupid, just ignorant, which can be fixed if they are willing to take the time to educate themselves. \n\nA quick example: I once saw a question on Y! Answers if Bill Clinton was impeached. It was not a partisan question, just a question of historical fact, whether it happened or not. At least 40% of the answers said "no, he wasn't". (which is wrong, he was impeached) Obviously, this is not a scientific poll, but you can see my point that many people are ignorant of major political events as little as 8 years ago.\n\nLook at the number of TV shows (like Leno) that have segments where they ask college graduates simple questions about our country (who is the current president, who was the first president, how many states are there, etc.) and how many people don't know the answers.\n\nTheoretically, with an educated population, direct democracy would be great. Unfortunately, our population is not educated, never will be enough to responsibly participate in a direct democracy. It sounds nice in theory, but reality makes it a very bad idea.\n\n\n...a quick amendment...\nI think it could work, even with an uneducated population on the following conditions: each voter must first pass a test before they are allowed to vote. The test would not have any opinions, just facts about how our government works and the current issues. The other condition would be that everything would require a super majority to pass, something like 75% or 80%. This would prevent most special interest abuse because only things that the vast majority of people agree on get passed.
935217
Government beuraucracy, what can I say, they are all the same. My response to your question is that in the absence of a feedback promise, expect a 5-10 business day reply time.
926959
it would not affect my thinking one bit. \n\nI have served my time. i would do it again. ASAP. If my country needed me. It is about time the "trash-talkers" bucked up and earned a little freedom.
774111
Yep.....it's easier. Also you can't be held accountable later when something horrible goes wrong at the hands of the guy you voted for.......
664416
Don't do it!!!  Make them research it before they respond.  Lazy Americans.  \n\n\n:P
649083
Yes, but it might depend on type of government
332260
We can make more of an impact by speaking our minds to our lawmakers!\n\n\nhttp://judiciary.senate.gov/press.cfm
1026966
very.  to fix is you need to redefine a nation's priorities.  change from what i want (something to entertain me) to what they need (the need for basic items to live).  interesting question to pose to the most selfish and self obsesed people in the world.  (not every american is like that, but i think as a nation we are).
161476
Well, yes. India does have a parlimentary form of government that is accountable to  its citizens.  Americans have a right to information too.  If you have information, you can make an informed decision when you vote.  This is a way to have a responsible government.
386208
OK is this confesion time or do you have a question?
491627
Try political Compass. It's an online test
715778
you could do the current issue of immigration.  There is a ton of information (and opinion pieces) out there right now because it is such a huge issue in the U.S.