Achtung-- Elections - POLL

[Billip]

Originally posted by Khyron
Just from a political science aspect, realise a democracy is as evil for the population as a dictatorship. The whole "Tyrany of the Majority" business rears its ugly head. Canada and the US etc are not democracies - they are republics.

And I dunno what Peter is worried about - he's pretty much assured of being voted pres as the job is such a hassle. Tho having some official "2nd in commands" makes sense in case he gets hit by a bus or something.

Khyron

Just because I'm interested in politics, I'll drag this out a little further. :mrtongue:

A democracy is hardly as evil as a dictatorship. The great thing about a democracy is that if the government sucks, then you can replace them. You have no such power with a dictatorship. That's a pretty big difference. Now that doesn't mean that a government can't be evil, but simply that the power exists for the people to remove and replace them.

And Canada is not a republic, it's a confederation with parliamentary democracy, which was born from the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom. The style of government of the USA and Canada are about as different as you can get yet still both be democracies.

BTW this is all fun from my perspective so don't think i'm beating on anyone! :mrlaugh:

[PuppageVW]

Originally posted by Middleton
Just because I'm interested in politics, I'll drag this out a little further. :mrtongue:

A democracy is hardly as evil as a dictatorship. The great thing about a democracy is that if the government sucks, then you can replace them. You have no such power with a dictatorship. That's a pretty big difference. Now that doesn't mean that a government can't be evil, but simply that the power exists for the people to remove and replace them.

And Canada is not a republic, it's a confederation with parliamentary democracy, which was born from the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom. The style of government of the USA and Canada are about as different as you can get yet still both be democracies.

BTW this is all fun from my perspective so don't think i'm beating on anyone! :mrlaugh:

Well, you can try to replace them. In Canada our voting system does nothing. Ontario and Quebec decides who gets in. Typically those easterns have a left wing view point, so yes we can replace them...but Ontario is doing the replacing and for us outside of Ontario we are living in a dictatorship...its not totalitarian, but its a dictatorship.

[R_Ethug]

well since this thread went to **** i agree paul i ****** hate ******* for life simply because our taxes go to the ******** and they steal our **** gas and ***** about it.. ******* can *** a **** and he is a **** for not going into ****..

[Khyron]

Article IV Section 4 of the Constitution guarantees every American a republican form of government.

In any political science book, true democracy is considered as "wrong" as a dictatorship. Of course they are different but the underlying theme of oppression remains.

Common example: Five people are sitting in a room. Three are men. One of them proposes a new law making it legal to for a man to rape a woman. The three men vote yea. That's "democracy" in action.

The Army Training Manual of 1929 (PM 2000-25) contains the following definitions under the title of Citizenship:

Democracy: A government of the masses, authority derived through mass meetings or any other form of direct expression; results in mobocracy; attitude toward property is communistic negating property rights; attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate whether it is based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences; its result is dem-o-gogism, license, agitation, discontent and anarchy.

Republic: Authority is derived through the election by the people of public officials best suited to represent them. Attitude toward property is respect for laws and individual rights and a sensible economic procedure. Attitude toward law is the administration of justice in accord with fixed principles that establish evidence with a strict regard for consequences. A greater number of citizens and extent of territory may be brought within its compass, it avoids the dangerous extremes of either tyranny or mobocracy. Results in statesmanship, liberty, reason, justice contentment and progress, is a standard for government around the world.

We have (in theory) a republican form of government. Rights can never be placed for a vote. They are yours to keep even if 99.9% of the people want it gone. That is the difference between the much exalted democracy and a constitutional republic. One more thing to note: there are not and never have been any democracies of decent size. Some tribes perhaps, but never true civilizations. Even in Greece, only the males could vote. Democracies are dangerous.

"The majority is never right. Never, I tell you! That's one of these lies in society that no free and intelligent man can ever help rebelling against. Who are the people that make up the biggest proportion of the population --- the intelligent ones or the fools? I think we can agree it's the fools, no matter where you go in this world, it's the fools that form the overwhelming majority."

- Henrik Ibsen

Khyron

[Ian Neumeyer]

This is a very interesting post. Keep it up!

On the point of electing a president...

I can speak from personal experience that running a car club/forum is extremely demanding. The problem with voting in a 'number of executive positions' is that these are non paying positions. When it's not a job, then the people in charge will eventually have to choose work and family over the club at some point or another. I've seen it happen, and the club dissolves. The most commitment comes from the founding member(s) usually.

My .02

Ian.

[Klobi-One-Kinobi]

Have to agree with Ian here. Well put.