You are saying that because congress isn't properly accountable for their current actions, and that we should have a more direct democracy, with the ability to challenge proposed legislation by referendum as one potential vehicle for that?
I think I could potentially get behind that, but I would want to hear more about proposition for nation wide referendum systems, especially since some states already have such a thing, but not all, to implement it nation-wide would require a constitutional amendment.
One alternative idea I would propose is an increase in the amount of representatives. Give them smaller districts and they would be more accountable and less able to use the two party system as a manipulatory vehicle. Issues abound back at the hill for such a thing, but I think it might be a good start.
Gerrymandering has to be controlled and eliminated as well.
Campaign finance reform is a must as well.
Overall I think I understand a bit better, I would just urge caution that in trying to fix broken parts of the system that we don't throw out the baby with the bathwater so to speak. As long as propositions conform with the constitution, I'm ok with it.
I will admit though, with the corruption as pervasive as it is now, a constitutional convention scares the hell out of me, as it could too easily be hijacked into something horrible.
For the most part, the system set up by our founding fathers is a good one, for the most part. There is simply too much to governance that should be left to common folk to sort out.
However, it is clear that the average citizen is completely powerless to have any effect on the system. The system is run by representatives who are owned by special interests. We are often given the choice between a red Lego and a blue Lego with no discernible difference between them once they get to Washington and spend half their time fundraising for the next election.
That is why we should have direct democracy: not as the foundation for policy, but a citizen check on the tendency for concentrated power to corrupt. We should have the right to publicly challenge resolutions by referendum to keep congress from controlling all they see fit with no real consequence.
Voting for representatives is not enough to hold them accountable. It is no different from exchanging one dirty diaper for another.