[BikerNYC]

...and law passed without the give and take of argument and debate that considers the needs and desires of the minority, which would be lost in a direct democracy, is bad law.

How would a well debated fair law on abortion take into consideration the needs and desires of the minority?

[SoothingDave]

Didn't California, though cash-strapped, pass a referendum that mandates spending billions of dollars to use parts of dead babies to try to get Christopher Reeve to walk again?

Didn't California pass a referendum requiring a set percentage of the budget go to education, thereby giving the teachers union a direct line to the taxpayers' wallets without any interference or accountability to the legislators?

Are these examples of the wisdom of the masses and how reasoned debate can shine through the referendum process?