I don't know what to replace what we've got, but clearly representative democracy has failed in many ways.
Oh, I do: a constitutional ammendment that allows one who's rights are being trampled by government to defend commensurately not only against said level of government, or their agents, but to retaliate with equal force against those having a hand electing said government, and their progeny, who have not come to my aid.
This holds *the people*, collectively, and individually, responsible for the government they elect, and one would expect *the people*, collectively, and individually, to make a far bigger noise if they see government violating someone else's rights.
Basically, if the police are bashing down my door, without a warrant, and not under exigent circumstances, I can lawfully kill them AND any neighbors, who are ALSO not killing them, and their kids .
Make people accountable for the government they have a part in electing by demanding eternal vigilance on their part, lest they, or their offspring, die, for failing in this responsibiity.
The tragic flaw of democracy (direct or otherwise) is the alure of power benefiting one group without responsibility for it harming another.
The U.S. Constitutuion is pretty good, as far as rights go, but it fails on the part of responsibilities.
Yes, I know that in a shootout between a drug lord and police, it may be difficult to tell who's in the right. But an armed neighborhood demanding the violence stop, lest all participants be killed, and letting the courts sort it out, strikes me as not such a bad thing.