Democracy does not fail. Politicians and people fail democracy.
The core consideration in the debate of democracy versus its antithesis is solving public problems. The antithesis goes by different names: e.g., monarchy, dictatorships, autocracy, oligarchy, executive power, and habitual politicians. Instead of "antithesis" for this discourse, "despotism" will be the anti-democracy mot du jour.
Forcefully or peacefully, despots rise to power by claiming to be the one-all, know-all, solve-all. Hitler rose to power, in part, by blaming democracy as a failing form of government for Germany's woes. Trump has risen to power by implying a "dictatorship of me" is better than democracy. By analogy, dictators are good for one-night stands while democracy is good for long-term intimacy.
Sometimes a single person has the solution accepted by all. Sometimes there is validity for "out of the mouths of babes come words of wisdom", e.g., the emperor has no clothes. Sometimes. But in life and dice one cannot throw sevens over-and-over unless the dice are loaded. In public law-making, the loaded dice are corrupted legislators who legalize private laws, aka, privileges. True democracy levels the gaming field so average cititzens are not playing against loaded dice.
Labels can be misleading:
Democracies in name only. Likewise with President Trump.
| If one knows the history of the Roman Republic and the Latin translation
of republic, one knows that a republic is a democracy limited to rich people.
For a good review full of tidbits, read
Republicans:
Rich Puber. Or, watch
Republican
Etymology: Res Pubers ... Rich Pubes (youtube).
America's Framing (not Founding) Fathers wanted a democracy limited to wealthy adults. Some were vocal in not wanting the vulgar masses to have a vote. Up till 1932, 20% of the states required land ownership--res. Women did not get the vote because it was Framing Fathers, not Framing Mothers. To say a republic is not a democracy is akin to saying a Cadillac is not a car. Res Rubers have their own Golden Rule: Those with the gold make the rules. Or, doo-doo unto others before they doo-doo unto you. Throughout American history, Republicans, conservatives and ill-liberals have sought to "crucify mankind on a cross of gold." As Christ would not be a Christian Nationalist nor would Lincoln be a Republican. It is a blasphemy for Republicans to wrap themselves in the American flag or in Lincoln's legacy. Ill-liberals lie from greed. Liberals lie from need. One is a thieving liar. The other is a lying thief. |
In emergencies, the U.S. Constitution allows single person rule. The President has executive power to act when the legislative branch cannot quickly respond to a public problem. Lincoln so acted in the Civil War when Congress was recessed. He expected eventual Congressional legislative approval. But, as current global events show, executive power can be abused with de facto legislative vetoes before a pencil is put to paper. Habitual Respubers fear a Trump-encouraged primary opponent.
As an alternative to despotic tyrants, democracy arose within citizenry to solve their common, shared problems. Repeatedly, sadly, democratic processes fade and fail, e.g., Greek city states and Roman republic. Provided by democracy's high productivity of happiness, creature comforts promote laziness, lassitude and laisez faire. The second U.S. President, John Adams, said democracies always fail. The Scottish political philospher Thomas Carlyle in 1837 said democracies become "Quackocracies." Current anti-democracy despots are a gaggle of quacks.
Optimal democracy recognizes the importance of its origin: Dividing people and time so people can rule on their problems (Demos cracy: Dividing to rule). In Ancient Greece, the Cradle of Democracy, citizen were annually organized in small groups to elect re-presentors of their problems and concerns. Anti-democracy systems have zero divisioning in the time or groups, e.g,. monarchies and autocrats. Non-optimal, excessive divisioning is mob rule.
Democracy does not fail. Politicians and voters fail democracy.
The Press Releases(30+) come from a bucket list of ideas to which this 75-year old writer turns when burned out from the tedium of debugging and polishing brainbees for their debut. The coding works individually but integration is needed. The software will make the goals of Timism self-perpetuating. The writings are useless in a near-illiterate world with materialistic values and theist falsehoods. For the masses to eat at the banquet of Timism, the dining hall must be opened to all and must be self-serving. Being an idealist and romantic, this oldster often relies on the Serenity Prayer or on Jean Anouilh's Becket: Like Ukraine, "I can't go on. I must go on. I will go on." |