ABSTRACT
Yet Lincoln’s desire to have the government do the people’s bidding raises two
problems. The first is practical: how do you find out what the people want? This
problem is far from trivial. In most democracies, and certainly in the United States,
citizens are rarely of one mind about anything. The people want government to
do different things about everything from budget deficits to military operations in
Afghanistan. Ask the people whether they support Policy X to address Problem A,
and the answer will almost always be yes. And no. And maybe. It all depends on what
particular group of people you talk to.
