SCREW "democracy." Democracy is forcing the will of the majority upon those who want something else. Of course, it's even worse than that; see later in this comment.
When government is very small, democracy is unlikely to be an issue: the government isn't involved in much so few things are put to a vote.
But as government grows, more and more falls under the tyranny of the majority (or of those who CLAIM to be doing the majority's will). Would you like to save your own life (from COVID, perhaps) by using, say, Ivermectin or HCQ? Better hope those in power think you should have that option, because YOUR opinion doesn't really matter. THAT's "democracy" in a nutshell.
Or as a well-known epigram has it: Democracy is two wolves and a sheep debating what to have for lunch.
Not that "the will of the people" actually obtains in a democracy -- not for long, anyway. Soon enough, corrupt and psychopathic officials are running things while pretending to be doing what "the majority" has decreed.
Democracy is terrific if you want to live in a country where government power is increasingly bought by corporations and other special interests and used against you, and against anything fair, honest, decent, or kind.
Under a small, weak government, democracy can be tolerable, especially compared to living under genocidal tyrants. Under large, powerful governments, democracies can BECOME genocidal tyrannies and callous empires.
The enemy is Power, as JRR Tolkien told us so clearly. The path to a sane and healthy world is individual freedom within a culture of brotherhood and responsibility. There are many ways to order such a culture, but love is the keystone; love ensures proper and loving care of children; love includes respect for women and for every individual; love encourages the fulfilling of obligations and the pursuit of justice where necessary. Every grain and element of a workable, healthy, prosperous society requires love, first and above all else.
Democracy is a Trojan Horse that has been used repeatedly to corrupt, confuse, and grind down nations to the point where corruption, tyranny, and evil are nearly all that is left.
Exactly. And it devolves into tyranny as tyrants rise in the government apparatus, claiming to represent the mob but instead representing the tyranny's desire for growth and self-perpetuation, plus the highest bidders among the corporations and other special interests. "Please Congress, pleaseregulate us -- for the safety of the public!"
That is why the articles of confederation have a weak central government. The Constitution of the United States of America created a stronger central government to collect taxes to pay the interest on the war debt.
In 1871 it was even taken one step further and created a foreign entity called the USA in Washington DC.
As of 1929 there is only emergency rule where the illusion of constitutional boundaries for government and democratic processes are lip-serviced.
Yes, it would have been interesting to see what our path would have been had we stayed under the Articles, or even a modified version of them. No Lousiana Purchase, probably (or a Seward's Folly, either -- or a basically military takeover of Hawaii). We'd be a smaller and more peaceful nation, perhaps like a larger and less corrupt Switzerland.
We HAVE seen wins against tyranny in America (Jackson getting rid of the central bank, for instance) but in general, it's been a long slide downward.
SCREW "democracy." Democracy is forcing the will of the majority upon those who want something else. Of course, it's even worse than that; see later in this comment.
When government is very small, democracy is unlikely to be an issue: the government isn't involved in much so few things are put to a vote.
But as government grows, more and more falls under the tyranny of the majority (or of those who CLAIM to be doing the majority's will). Would you like to save your own life (from COVID, perhaps) by using, say, Ivermectin or HCQ? Better hope those in power think you should have that option, because YOUR opinion doesn't really matter. THAT's "democracy" in a nutshell.
Or as a well-known epigram has it: Democracy is two wolves and a sheep debating what to have for lunch.
Not that "the will of the people" actually obtains in a democracy -- not for long, anyway. Soon enough, corrupt and psychopathic officials are running things while pretending to be doing what "the majority" has decreed.
Democracy is terrific if you want to live in a country where government power is increasingly bought by corporations and other special interests and used against you, and against anything fair, honest, decent, or kind.
Under a small, weak government, democracy can be tolerable, especially compared to living under genocidal tyrants. Under large, powerful governments, democracies can BECOME genocidal tyrannies and callous empires.
The enemy is Power, as JRR Tolkien told us so clearly. The path to a sane and healthy world is individual freedom within a culture of brotherhood and responsibility. There are many ways to order such a culture, but love is the keystone; love ensures proper and loving care of children; love includes respect for women and for every individual; love encourages the fulfilling of obligations and the pursuit of justice where necessary. Every grain and element of a workable, healthy, prosperous society requires love, first and above all else.
Democracy is a Trojan Horse that has been used repeatedly to corrupt, confuse, and grind down nations to the point where corruption, tyranny, and evil are nearly all that is left.
EDIT: A link about democracy and the views of the Founders: https://fee.org/articles/why-americas-founders-didnt-want-a-democracy/
Democracy is mob rule, basically.
Exactly. And it devolves into tyranny as tyrants rise in the government apparatus, claiming to represent the mob but instead representing the tyranny's desire for growth and self-perpetuation, plus the highest bidders among the corporations and other special interests. "Please Congress, please regulate us -- for the safety of the public!"
That is why the articles of confederation have a weak central government. The Constitution of the United States of America created a stronger central government to collect taxes to pay the interest on the war debt.
In 1871 it was even taken one step further and created a foreign entity called the USA in Washington DC.
As of 1929 there is only emergency rule where the illusion of constitutional boundaries for government and democratic processes are lip-serviced.
Yes, it would have been interesting to see what our path would have been had we stayed under the Articles, or even a modified version of them. No Lousiana Purchase, probably (or a Seward's Folly, either -- or a basically military takeover of Hawaii). We'd be a smaller and more peaceful nation, perhaps like a larger and less corrupt Switzerland.
We HAVE seen wins against tyranny in America (Jackson getting rid of the central bank, for instance) but in general, it's been a long slide downward.