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Minutes of a Public Hearing October 6, 2010 Page 34 all of our authority to close our eyes and walk away and not be informed on what's going on in our government? Doesn't representative government - Mayor Rinker: I thought you were going to ask one question. Q: These are points I'd like Dr. Keller to address and he can do so in whatever way he chooses. Doesn't representative government depend on the fundamental honesty and integrity of those we elect to office? Doesn't this all lend credence to Abraham Lincoln's point that the ballot is stronger than the bullet? Dr. Keller: You've got several questions. I would go back to an earlier question. Your strongest protection of rights is having citizens who can hold office where they can deliberate. And the only way representatives can hold office is through election. When they can't deliberate, when issues go in special elections on an issue, I don't think the rights are as protected as they are in a process where citizens are empowered to deliberate about them. And whether you agree or disagree with the outcome is a whole different thing. Most of the time you can vote down that issue or you can vote that person out of office. That's your protection of rights. What's happening and what I see a lot is people want to intervene in one or two issues. And I understand they're important. I'm not saying they're not important. But it elevates tYiose issues above all the rest and it really doesn't protect rights because it doesn't fit with the overall government. So that's why we as a Charter Review Commission are concerned about how do we structure government so we get deliberation and that we get citizens involved in the whole process of government and that to me is why Charter Review Commissions are so important because they truly are citizen-driven and citizens give up an unmense amount of time for almost no pay or any pay at all.to deal with the issues in the community and then come back to the community and you have the right to vote it up or down. That really protects your rights. Rather than having sporadic elections in which the information may or may not get out or may or may not be digested in the amount time between the decision and the time the election is held. That's the content of my comments. Mr. Diemert: If I could just supplement the answer from the Professor. I just came back from a seminar in our Nation's Capitol and at the U.S. Capitol on Saturday it was very .- interesting to know, there is no referendum on any action in the United States. The Constitution of the United States under which we exist today has no referendum to the. voters of the United States of America. And if you remember as you were all talking about Jefferson and Hamilton, the Great Compromise, although some wanted to have the voters have a direct influence which is why we have the House of Representatives, the