Refocus Wisconsin fosters democracy

While the definition of democracy is complicated, most agree that an ideal democracy - driven by active and informed participants - is simply unrealistic. Today, everyone is bombarded with overwhelming amounts of information. So much information that it’s sometimes easier to flat out ignore what is going on. Overall, American’s are uninformed about current events but this makes sense because it is just too easy to only access information you care about and ignore the rest.

It’s reassuring to know, however, that citizens are forming different public communities online. Citizens, both informed and uninformed, are coming together, lobbying for their values and beliefs. From tea party rallies that supported Scott Walker, community newsletters endorsing Tom Barrett and online communities of experts sharing innovative solutions, American’s are coming together in some way or another to advocate change.

After researching the Refocus Wisconsin project, it seems as if popular consent is forming from the ground up in a sense. The activists on this site are not driven by political affiliations; rather, the individuals in this community are motivated by their personal beliefs and a desire to make Wisconsin the best it can be. The activists in this community have taken it upon themselves to deliberate and collaborate through the problems facing Wisconsin.

Democrats, republicans, liberals, conservatives, libertarians, moderates, independents and more have all come together as part of this community. Simply researching a few of these individuals with Google shows that they all have diverse ideologies and come from a variety of backgrounds. Not only are they recommending policy and going out into the community to find out what Wisconsin citizens think, but they are also holding public lectures and luncheons that open up their ideas to public criticism.

As far as I can tell, Refocus Wisconsin - despite being sponsored by the WPRI - is an objective group of political activists who simply want what is best for our state. This projects seeks to drive the state forward in order to guarantee long-term prosperity through intellectual diversity, community participation and ides driven by the needs of citizens, not political motivations.

It's difficult to maintain an ideal democracy driven by a public sphere offering equal opportunities for participation. Information comes and goes too fast for anyone to be considered an "ideal democratic participant." Refocus Wisconsin seems to take activists from all over the political spectrum to construct ideas and policies that can be debated openly, attempting to create a more effective democratic system in Wisconsin - a democratic system where more people can contribute ideas and be well informed by simply reading their recommendations.