Should initiatives and referendums be used on the national level of government?

The idea certainly has its positive aspects, but seeing what it's done in California, I'd say it's a bad idea, on balance. California needs redistricting reform, but the legislature won't pass it because of the conflict of interest they have. This is the kind of issue initiatives should exist to handle. Of course when a redistricting initiative was on the ballot, people voted it down, I suspect not on the merits but because Gov. Schwarzenneger supported it and they were PO'd at him at the time. What usually ends up passing are people's attempts to end-run the budget by suggesting programs and tax changes which tie the legislature's hands decades into the future and make sensible budgeting impossible.

If government isn't responsive to our needs, I don't think we need a mechanism to do their job for them. We need to figure out what's wrong with the system and fix it. If an initiative process could be limited to covering those kinds of issues, I'd be for it.

I think they should. at least initiatives should.

I think it would be great that if a significant portion of a constituency was represented in support of an initiative or referendem then the representative would support it.

We know that our representatives are often too distanced from day to day life to see what people want and once in awhile it would be a good thing if people coudl say hey heres a initiative, we have x million signatures in support of it, we want this on the next national election ballot etc.. or something of that sort.

now as to whether that should be voted on in an electorate or by popular vote could be another issue.