Trust: The Case for Representative Democracy, Executive Summary

Trust for Representative Democracy

The following is an excerpt from a publication of the Trust for Representative Democracy, The Case for Representative Democracy: What Americans Should Know About Their Legislatures, 2001 by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Do You Trust Our System of Government?

Before you read this publication, score yourself on the following test to see how much trust you have in our system of representative democracy. Please circle the number that most closely matches how you feel about each of the following pairs of statements.

Most legislators act unethically and are out for themselves.					Most legislators are out to promote the public welfare as they and their constituents see it.
1	2	3	4	5		6	7

Legislators don't care what regular people think.					Legislators care deeply about what their constituents want.
1	2	3	4	5		6	7

Americans agree on what is right and necessary, so the legislature should just pass the laws that the people want.					People disagree on most issues except at a general level, and the legislature must resolve the clash of values and interests.
1	2	3	4	5		6	7

Legislators are the servants of special interests that look out for themselves, not the will of the regular people. A few big interests run the government.					There is an organized interest for almost every conceivable policy interest that anyone might have. The number and diversity of organized interests ensure that all sides of an issue are heard but not that any one group comes out ahead.
1	2	3	4	5		6	7

The lawmaking process doesn't work well because of politics, unprincipled deal making and needless conflict.					Making laws is a contentious process because it takes in so many competing values, interests and constituencies.
1	2	3	4	5		6	7

Politicians are not accountable for their actions.					Politicians, who must run for office every two or four years, are as accountable as anyone can be.
1	2	3	4	5		6	7

Add up the total of the numbers you circled above and write down your score. _________

If you scored:	You are:
33-42	Trustful of representative democracy
27-32	Moderately trustful
21-26	In-between
15-20	Moderately cynical
6-14	Cynical about representative democracy