Sita: Don't worry, we with the westminster system can rest easy knowing that our governments actually ARE accountable to the people, because whilst lobby groups hold a certain amount of sway, absolute power was wrested from one individual and spread over a multitude of non-farcically democratic representatives.
You've also got to remember, regardless of the pap, the USA isn't actually a democracy like our countries are. It's a representational republic.
Oh, and I believe this picture will help illustrate why our view points are considered invalid
But this raises a point I mentioned in another thread.
There seems to be an inability of certain people to extract one line of thought from another because they assume there is a connection.
It's kind of like double-think, or some perverse QED rational that also relies on not looking at anything other than an opening argument and then straw-manning it.