I don't think knowing how the internet works is a gargantuan task. The basic concepts, though abstract compared to the physical world, are rather simple: addressing, routing, name resolution...
The tough part is knowing how unpredictable humans and their demands will affect network performance at any given point at any given time. What's worse is mixing in geography and politics, corporations and "peering agreements," etc.
Fair enough, as my grandfather wouldn't consider learning seed germination and modification techniques a gargantuan task either, it's quite simple in his eyes.
To fully understand a new topic every day enough to vote on is the gargantuan task I should have been referring to.
Isn't that why there are committees responsible for coming up with specific legislation? You shouldn't need all the members to understand all the topics.
I thought that this is what aids are for, congressmen hire young hopefully smart ideologically compatible aides who reasearch topics and write good summaries explaining the issues involved.
The tough part is knowing how unpredictable humans and their demands will affect network performance at any given point at any given time. What's worse is mixing in geography and politics, corporations and "peering agreements," etc.