I thought here in the USA we were to VOTE on things?? NOT HAVE congress take our rights away?

Name one freedom you have lost?  Since you can't yell the N word anymore you feel trod upon.

You thought wrong! The USA is as authoritarian as China, or more so!

What rights? This IS America, after all.  Ask a person strapped to a gurney being injected with some unknown psychiatric drug in Yale New Haven’s Hospital because a black state trooper trying to impress his white rookie trainee caught him sleeping in his car in a commuter parking lot if he felt like he had any “rights” at that moment. I sure can’t remember feeling like I had any at the time....  “Rights” are for some people and not for others in this country. Haven’t you noticed?

This is a representative democracy, a republic. We elect representatives who take away rights and grant exemptions to laws.

The US is a republic which means we vote for politicians to represent us. However, it's not unusual for state or local gov to put something up for vote.

Learn "the amendment is not absolute". Courts decided victims have rights too. Thus, what you may think is an infringement of your rights can be a legal exception to the rule to cover someone elses rights. You share the country. Too complicated?

Congress isn't, REPUBLICANS ARE.

You thought wrong....

We don't have national referendums.

So, what is your question?

no, we never voted on ‘things’

we vote representatives of the people to vote on things

This is why Democrats should never come near control of government again.