by Victoria Rose Perkins

Created on: January 30, 2009   Last Updated: February 03, 2009

In early American history, in the New England colonies, Town meetings were instituted as a system of much-needed governance. Every first Tuesday in the month of March, the local townspeople huddled and haggled together to vote on town business. This gave each person a chance to become a legislator for the day, if you will. Voters would create, discuss and vote on by-laws and elections were held to vote in overseers for the business of collecting taxes, overseeing school spending and general oversight of the business of town affairs.

The States of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont continue to hold these meetings. In 1762 the State of Vermont began holding town meetings and they continue to this day. However, is it still a good form of government in this 21st century? In defense of continuing the town meetings, the collective reasoning is:

"Voting at town meetings is the purest form of true democracy".

However, statistics tell us that no more than 20 to 26 percent of the townspeople ever attend these town meetings. So, how can that be democracy at its best? Once a matter is voted on, the few have decided for the many.

As towns continue to grow, so do the issues. Also, it is an illusion that voting at town meetings is the "purest form of true democracy" because the towns are still subject to the State government, followed by the Federal government and any decisions made can be overridden by both!

Although Vermont, like other New England states, has a distinct common history and is pleasant to work and live in, the town meetings are a hindrance to the many residents when it comes to letting the few decide all town matters. This creates an open-door policy for special interests groups to gain a foothold in furthering their own personal agendas, as thought by some critics.

Town meetings met the needs of the people in the past, but today, in the 21st century, the needs are more complex and the problems will continue to grow as we see rapid expansion taking place each year. With small town meetings dictating the powers that be, all residents are at the mercy of whatever gets voted on, to your liking or not to your liking.

Too much power in too few hands is a breeding ground for corruption. "Absolute power corrupts, and power corrupts, absolutely!" Town meetings should be abolished. Their usefulness is obsolete and does not meet the needs of the majority in this day and age in this fast-paced moving world.

And as for some of the issues to decide at Town meeting? They can run

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