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The irony of the US being "not a democracy but a republic" is that the representatives are voted into office democratically anyway. The electoral college skews it a little but it's still basically majority rule, just vicariously.
As you said, the winner of the votes is the best "shepherd". The one who can get the most bleating followers.
Still, the idea of lesser voting power to those with 'disabilities' is clashed with the importance of equal rights, so it's not a clean-cut issue.
You voted for him because he is part-black. His running mate is a far-bigger idiot than President Palin (Prospective). You can make all the excuses, but there IS NO OTHER REASON to vote for this epic fail of a POTUS.
No, if I voted for Obama because he was black, than how come I registered Republican and voted for Ron Paul in the primaries? I would certainly have chosen Paul over Obama if he was an option in the general election.
Biden has over a decade of experience more than Palin and can actually form complete sentences.
Anyway, McCain was a warmonger who would have put even more into Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan than Obama. Not to mention gay rights and the right to abortion.
It was the lesser of two evils...still evil, I know, but good wasn't on the ballot, thanks to the American Sheeple.
The irony of the US being "not a democracy but a republic" is that the representatives are voted into office democratically anyway. The electoral college skews it a little but it's still basically majority rule, just vicariously.
As you said, the winner of the votes is the best "shepherd". The one who can get the most bleating followers.
Still, the idea of lesser voting power to those with 'disabilities' is clashed with the importance of equal rights, so it's not a clean-cut issue.
The part in bold is what I most agree on. Yeah, the idiot masses deserve their rights, of course. I just wish there was some way to prevent them from electing idiots and/or silver tongued backstabbers, and not vote out a decent guy who makes the hard choices in favor of long term benefit (i.e., raising the Social Security age)
Noam Chomsky made a documentary on that called Manufacturing Consent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LogicIsYourFriend
The irony of the US being "not a democracy but a republic" is that the representatives are voted into office democratically anyway. The electoral college skews it a little but it's still basically majority rule, just vicariously.
As you said, the winner of the votes is the best "shepherd". The one who can get the most bleating followers.
Still, the idea of lesser voting power to those with 'disabilities' is clashed with the importance of equal rights, so it's not a clean-cut issue.
You don't think someone like Ralph Nader or Ron Paul would end up becoming corruptible and venal during his tenure in the white house??
Even Mother Teresa was a fake fruitcake. (Read: God and His Demons)
Quote:
Originally Posted by victorianpunk
The part in bold is what I most agree on. Yeah, the idiot masses deserve their rights, of course. I just wish there was some way to prevent them from electing idiots and/or silver tongued backstabbers, and not vote out a decent guy who makes the hard choices in favor of long term benefit (i.e., raising the Social Security age)
That's the problem with "one person, one vote" that few are willing to admit :so many people in America are idiots, that their votes outnumber the votes of those of us with higher IQs.
Democracy is not fundamentally about making good decisions. Or electing the "right" person.
The point of democracy is to give people a say in decisions that affect them.
Completly different thing. Sometimes we get to remove someone utterly bad at their job, which gives democracies an efficiency gain on autocracies. But that is a side effect, it is not the point.
There, I just said it. In America, you can attack religion, attack minorities, but the MINUTE you attack democracy, you're labeled insane. Well, let me provide you with a few scenarios before you go calling me the next Hitler.
Imagine a professor of economics, with an IQ of 147, who's studied the economy and understands the problems we're in when it comes to national debt and all that. Now, imagine Jim Bob Mcgee, with an IQ of 98, who spends his free time watching Bass Masters, shooting at jack rabbits and driving his pickup truck while searching for a blood relative to sleep with. Well, guess what?...
...THEY BOTH HAVE EQUAL SAY IN WHO THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WILL BE.
That's the problem with "one person, one vote" that few are willing to admit :so many people in America are idiots, that their votes outnumber the votes of those of us with higher IQs.
I take the redneck as an example, but I see it amongst black folks too: so many of them voted for Obama only because he was black. I'm black myself and I did vote for Obama, so please don't call me a racist SOB for saying the truth. Voting for someone just for the color of his skin is STUPID, and anyone who would do so doesn't deserve the right to vote at all.
Now, think about personal freedoms. In California they passed that "Proposition 8" thing because a bunch of idiots got together and voted on it. No sociologists had any say in it, no experts on culture had any say. It was just religious groups scaring people into believing that if gays had the right to marry than somehow straight marriages would be in trouble and churches would have to agree with it and all kinds of BS.
Or, better yet, how about a REAL democracy, i.e., A LYNCH MOB. Thirty racist whites and one innocent black guy next to a tree. They take it to a vote. The results? Thirty to one in favor of lynching the black guy. Democracy rules, and an innocent man is dead as a result.
Democracy is a bad idea...and the founding fathers thought so too. Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying "democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the results." Jefferson said, "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” Which is why they didn't create a democracy, they created A REPUBLIC.
However, I think that republic needs some serious reforms. First off we can end this whole "ballot initiative" thing. I mean, it didn't start until 1898, long after the founding fathers lived, and has NOTHING to do with the constitution. Honestly, we all know that majority of the unwashed masses are too stupid to understand and make an informed decision on what their voting on anyway. Take that power away from the mob, and put it in the hands of the legislature, who have aides and experts to call on.
Also, we need to reconsider this "one person, one vote" thing. How about we give everyone a standardized IQ test and for every ten points above 100, they get another vote? That way, someone like me (120 IQ) would get more votes than Sarah Palin (-50 IQ)
But really, I don't even think that will be enough. If we are ever to solve this national debt crisis, it will take leaders who are willing to make difficult decisions. Come on, do you really think the unwashed masses will be happy with a President who honestly says "we need to cut defense spending by 1/3 and push the age to receive Social Security up to 70"? Probably not. So, we just clap right along with someone who keeps getting us deeper into debt, whether it's Bush or Obama.
90% of the population are mindless sheep. Sad to say, but it's the honest truth. The winning candidate is the person who can herd the sheep the most effectively. It never has anything to do with who the best candidate is and if you don't believe me, just look at how poorly Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich did in their primaries.
The sad fact is, the American Sheeple are too dumb to make the system work as it stands now. If you don't believe me, just consider how they ACTUALLY HAD TO RESCHEDULE THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS SO AS NOT TO INTERRUPT AMERICAN IDOL.
The unwashed mob...the REAL problem with America.
Congratulations, despite the fact you're black you seem to be a real live american liberal/leftists/assorted marxist/socialist. Most american liberals......are upper class whites. The founding fathers may have set up a representational republic but they did know something you wanna be european socialists don't/can't understand.......the people know far more of what's important to them than some nameless bureaucrat. For all the faults of the american political system it was the europeans who produced hitler, stalin, franco and musiline (sp) at the same time we produced fdr. If you cannot see the differences........you really are an american liberal/leftist/assorted marxist/socialist.
BTW this is what the russian citizenry looked like under the care of "experts."
Democracy is not fundamentally about making good decisions. Or electing the "right" person.
The point of democracy is to give people a say in decisions that affect them.
Completly different thing. Sometimes we get to remove someone utterly bad at their job, which gives democracies an efficiency gain on autocracies. But that is a side effect, it is not the point.
I think the message in the OP is more about decisions that many think affects them, whether positively or negatively is a different issue. The key is whether they've the capacity to get it right?
Congratulations, despite the fact you're black you seem to be a real live american liberal/leftists/assorted marxist/socialist. Most american liberals......are upper class whites. The founding fathers may have set up a representational republic but they did know something you wanna be european socialists don't/can't understand.......the people know far more of what's important to them than some nameless bureaucrat. For all the faults of the american political system it was the europeans who produced hitler, stalin, franco and musiline (sp) at the same time we produced fdr. If you cannot see the differences........you really are an american liberal/leftist/assorted marxist/socialist.
BTW this is what the russian citizenry looked like under the care of "experts."
So blaming the American public for not electing someone who will solve the debt crisis and decrease the size of government makes me a socialist? Yeah...
Oh, and "Democracy" never appears in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. The Founders hated the idea of democracy and established a Republic. Since then, things have changed to make it more democratic ( ballot initiatives starting in 1898, the 17th amendment in 1913 etc) which are part of why we're in such a mess.
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