Well I suppose it depends on who the select intellectuals are & what questions make the final cut.  All-in-all I believe it’s a step in a good direction…but perhaps only as an exercise in futility.  Interesting setting for it as well.  Good question, though, Green Mtn. 

[Somewhere in time, there was likely a group of well-meant academics gathered on a porch beside the planned route of the first western railroad, intellectualizing on the notion that the good people own their land and should not be forced to submit to eminent domain &/or the duress of so-called lawmen sent by the powers that be to buy the deeds…or take the deeds, whatever it takes.  & the people likely gathered around the sages crying, “Yes, we agree…this land is our land!!  WE will ban together and hold-out until the end.  Liberty & justice for all!”  & it felt like strength in unity.  That was until…the Pinkertens rode up with the law of privileged men as their coat of arms & shot the do-gooder intellectuals dead…as common criminals and unAmerican fckheads.  …& the good people dispersed and went home and began to adjust to the scraps of eminent domain and the new railroad…and tried to figure-out where they were going to move to now and how nice it’ll be to settle…again.  Yep, yep, &…yep.]

an interesting document from…1892:

http://www.wwnorton.com/EAMERICA/media/ch22/resources/documents/populist.htm