I choose Democracy NOT because I love it....but what is the alternative?

[Beaches & Nature fan]

Hi everyone,

Today I am going to talk about Democracy. I think we are a society that gets very attached to, and caught up with, words that sound so beautiful. Democracy! Save Democracy! Woo hoo!

Well. There are definite positives about a Democracy, that other forms of government do not have. But there are also major flaws, that I think people who get too caught up in defending Democracy, don't realize.

It is true, that in a Democracy, the public gets to vote in, and vote out, politicians. It is because of the public's votes, that politicians are, or are not, elected to office. But really, only in that sense, does the will of the people really matter.

Once the politicians are elected however, they can pretty much do whatever they want (within their Presidential or congressional powers). They can very easily serve their own interests, and by this point, the people's will does not really matter. There can be all these liberal or right-wing media outlets we see on youtube, but in reality, their voice does not carry much weight - they are just satisfying the angsts of the viewers who happen to be watching.

Sure, presidents and other politicians can listen to polls. But they don't have to act on them if they don't want to. This is why I equate Democracy to a soft totalitarianism. One where, again, the will of the people only matter at the ballot box, and not much after that.

Furthermore, let's examine the actual process of voting, that goes along with the outcome.

Let's do an analogy - let's pretend that this entire country is a group of 5 people sitting at at a table. Or, we can pretend that the whole congress is like this. Either way.

So, let's say there is a referendum, or some bill, that depends on people's vote to pass. So that means, in that table, 3 people must vote for or against the bill, to make it pass or not pass. 

Let's say the 3 people in the table vote to pass the bill, to the dismay of the other 2. What makes the 3 people better than the other 2? How are they morally superior, how are they better?  Do those 3, really know whether they are acting on their best interests, for themselves and the country? Or is the vote out of feeling, sentiment, bias, etc? These are very hard questions to answer, in most cases.

Which brings me to the next point: a state, is like a ship. A ship needs a competent captain to pilot it. But it also needs a competent crew too. 

Most of the public, the crew, is not skilled enough, not politically savvy enough, to really vote for a politician that really serves their interest. And so, they end up voting for a politician that may serve some of their interests, and not others.

And with a country of 330 million people, there are probably that many different sets of interests. Yes, some people vote on facts. But many of us vote on feeling, sentiment, bias, prejudice, etc. I dislike it. But most of us do.

Lastly, the unelected bureaucrats. They end up implementing processes in just that fashion - unelected, without the approval of the millions of the non-political public.

But yet....I choose Democracy over all forms of government. I don't love Democracy. I do not think it is awesome. It's not. Anyone who thinks it is...again is basing it on some sentiment, not real facts.

But I choose Democracy because it's the least bad system out there...what's the alternative? Dictatorship? Feudalism? Aristocracy? Communism? Anarchism? None of those other options sound appealing, or, ,can be even more dangerous than a democracy. And that's why I oppose Trump - with him there is a risk of turning an already not-so-good system (Democracy) into something worse.

Winston Churchill once said that "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others". How true it is.

As I pointed out in my last writing, whatever the system, we need to figure out new ways of doing politics and business and transactions, that adjust to 2025, not the 1980's and back. I hope we can find these ways. It will take time. Till then, while we don't know, I choose Democracy NOT because I am some champion of it, but because it's the least bad system out there.

Best to all,

Vik