Interestingly put. The Founders feared mob rule, hence no direct democracy. I would characterize the problem like this: STUPIDITY IS EVIL! The problem as I see it is that nobody pays attention until it's too late. The educational system is so broken that even when they pay attention, they don't know what to do. How do we fix it? Not sure we can without armed insurrection. People do not give up power voluntarily. There are many facets to the myriad of problems we face. I only identifies two. There is multiplicity of interest, imperfect mobilization. How do you get a large number of people to act at once when their interests are spread all over the place. You've posed a most complex question but like the old bumper sticker says: If your vote meant anything, voting would be illegal!