Why democracy is failing America

Natural News ^ | Tuesday, May 10, 2011 | Mike Adams

[Scythian]

Democracy is the worst form of government, Sir Winston Churchill once said... except for every other form of government. In other words, all forms of government are atrociously bad, and democracy may merely be the least bad of the bunch. I certainly wouldn't want to live under a dictatorship, socialism or communism. So I like the idea of democracy, and I wish it would work better for America. But it isn't working. That much is clear. Democracy is failing America, and we can't just blame it on the politicians and the corporations. People actually vote for their own self-destruction by electing professional liars to represent them.

That's where this article begins.

Why democracy isn't working for America

At its core, the democratic process of electing representatives is a popularity contest. The voters inevitably end up supporting whichever lawmakers offer the best handouts right now, regardless of the long-term consequences to the nation. Voting, in other words, is a contest based on short-term rewards rather than long-term vision. Not surprisingly, when the voters go to the polls, they tend to elect the person who promises them the most right now.

Now, it's crucial to recognize this simple economic fact: No government can offer something to one person without first taking it from another. So the more handouts, entitlements and benefits any government offers, the more it must confiscate from others in order to meet its "obligations" to the voters.

This creates a downward spiral of entitlements leading to inescapable debt. Because sooner or later, governments always run out of other people's money.

But that doesn't stop the voting action which still boils down to a popularity contest to decide the leader who tells the best lies. When given a choice between a realistic candidate who says America is deep in debt (Ron Paul) and a fantasy-land candidate who says there's nothing to worry about (almost everybody else), most voters will choose the fantasy candidate... especially if it means more money in their pockets.

The right course of action is too unpopular

What's desperately lacking in all this, of course, is the far more important truth that when a nation is in financial trouble (and environmental trouble, health care trouble, etc.), only tough decisions will ever turn it around. And those tough decisions are, by definition, unpopular decisions.

Huh? We have to consume less? Receive fewer benefits? Pay higher taxes? Make the wealthy corporations pay their fair share? Say it isn't so...

Not surprisingly, in a free and open democracy, tough, unpopular decisions will almost never be supported by the majority of voters. That's because most people are simply selfish. They are far more concerned about their own immediate benefits than the future they might be handing down to their children or grandchildren. So there is zero willingness to make the tough decisions necessary to save the country. The voters, in other words, tend to vote out of their own short-term interests rather than the long-term viability of the nation as a whole.

That's why democracy is failing America. And that's partly why America is headed toward a near-certain collapse in the not-too-distant future. A President who tells the truth and says we have to cut government by 80% to balance the budget is simply not electable. Too many people have their hands in the cookie jar. Too many voters depend on the government to send them checks, and far too many wealthy corporations are entirely dependent on government enforcement of monopolies and subsidies for their own survival. Big Pharma, for example, would shrink by at least 90% if not for the government's support of the industry.

So electing a President who will actually halt the financial bleeding of America will never happen.

Sure, it might happen in a nation with a highly educated population. That's why education is so important to the long-term survival of any nation. But America isn't a highly-educated nation. Probably half of America's high school graduates can't do basic math. So the concept of compounded interest on the national debt is simply beyond their understanding and doesn't seem real to them. They are short-term consumers because that's the way they've been trained. That's the way they think. That's the way they calculate. And that's the way they vote.

Think about it: Your average consumer will spend $4 on a pack of two AA batteries when they could spend $10 and get 8 AA batteries of the exact same brand and capacity. To most consumers, $4 is cheaper than $10, so they just spend the $4 and don't consider the cost per battery. People don't do the math! And when they vote, they don't think it through. They vote based on popularity, not rational thought.

As a result, America today is a cesspool of lawmakers, Presidents and bureaucrats who merely weave elaborate lies to feed the public for as long as they can get away with it. There is hardly a shred of truth left in anything coming out of Washington D.C. these days. We are so far beyond the point of actually fixing the problems and turning this country around that most of the intelligent people are now focused on getting ready to "ride out the reset."

The dictatorship we definitely don't want

At this point, the only real way to save America's future is to force a set of tough decisions upon the people by way of a strong dictatorship -- and I am absolutely opposed to such a thing because it would destroy the few remaining freedoms we still enjoy today.

You could, of course, try to educate the populace about freedom, fiscal responsibility and the value of long-term strategic thinking rather than short-term rewards, but that would require an entire cultural shift spanning at least two generations. Because let's face it, Americans have been trained in the philosophy of "instant gratification" for at least two generations. It's all about having more and having it now. You can't reverse that kind of thinking overnight. You can't reverse instant gratification thinking instantly, in other words.

The end result will be collapse

So what are we left with? There's no way out of this except collapse. Michael Ruppert gets it (www.collapsenet.com). Gerald Celente gets it (www.TrendsResearch.com) . Alex Jones gets it (www.InfoWars.com). But most people don't get it.

In fact, the mainstream short-term thinkers and voters don't get it at all. And the reason they don't get it is because they are the problem from the start! They're the ones who voted without thinking and elected professional liars rather than problem solvers. John F. Kennedy was probably the last President who attempted to actually tell the truth, and they shot him in the head for asking too many questions about the Federal Reserve (and other topics). After that moment in history, it has all been a series of escalating lies to the point where all the presidents in recent memory are now little more than staged public relations fictional characters playing a role in the hit comedy TV series called "America, The Leader of the Free World!"

It's a comedy series, however... not a reality show. And the mainstream media is playing the role of the comedy news source in the comedy TV series. Virtually nothing the media prints about health, the economy or world news has any basis in fact whatsoever. It is merely the regurgitation of crafted spin pieces and official deceptions designed to keep the voters entertained a while longer while the money commanders loot the economy before the coming collapse.

Lessons to be learned from recent history

Why does any of this matter? At one level, it doesn't. The collapse of America has been set in motion, and there's actually very little you or I can do to stop it. Emailing your congressman or signing a petition is futile. Even the act of voting is essentially an exercise in supporting a system of government that's already on life support and nearing its expiration date. It doesn't really make much difference at this point, except for local and state elections, of course.

Because the bigger picture here is that the experiment of Democracy has failed on a grand scale. It's not obvious to everyone yet (because few people are long-term thinkers), but it soon will be. Democracy doesn't work if your voters are mostly short-term thinkers who can't do math and whose selfishness outweighs any sense of leaving something of value for the next generation.

The American democracy experiment will soon crash land, and when we're sorting through the wreckage, all the shocked and bewildered people will be asking, "How could this have happened? Everything was going along just fine..." But it wasn't just fine. Most of it was all a Big Lie, and lies have a way of catching up with you.

America's democracy was a noble concept. And it could have worked if the population had been better educated and the corporations less greedy (and the lawmakers less whore-like, I suppose). But today it has failed, and now it's only a matter of watching it implode and then figuring out a better solution for creating a more sustainable nation for our collective future.

Perhaps it's time we threw away the idea of voters electing "representatives" in its totality and instead created a nation of sovereign citizens who operate from a completely different mindset. Who says we need a federal government at all? Wouldn't most of us be freer, healthier, wealthier and happier if the federal government didn't even exist? Sure, we need a national defense but even that could be coordinated by the states.

Remember, the "United States" means a group of states who are united in their intentions. It does not mean a federal tyrant that overrules the states. The "United States" of America is supposed to be a system of agreement and open trade among fifty sovereign geopolitical entities, not one oppressive system that demands compliance with its corrupt, power-hungry agenda.

These are some of the issues people will no doubt be pondering when the current experiment in democracy implodes.

Don't be surprised when that day comes, of course. It's already past the point of no return. Be ready to take part in the discussions of what I call The Next Society that will inevitably be born out of the coming collapse. And hopefully we can figure out a way to improve on the concept of "democracy" for a brighter (and freer) future.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Do you mean a dictatorship? Like Chávez?

No, I mean something like an appointed Senate, which we used to have. Similarly the Brits: if they could revive their House of Lords or give their monarch some kind of veto power they'd be much better off than they are now, where the ruling party pretty much has things all its own way.

[bbernard]

“Why democracy is failing America”
“Because we’re actually a Free Republic?”

I don’t know if you are asking a question but, we were supposed to be. Our founders knew democracy was a disgusting failure but they knew republics were as well. They created a hybrid of sorts, a Representative Republic. Unfortunately it was hijacked slowly starting at the turn of the 20th century. It’s all been down hill since. Just in my 40 short years I have seen the Constitution of this great nation pissed on time and time again. People do not understand the meaning of unalienable rights and natures law.

We have been transformed into a Autocracy where the ruling class has made most citizens believe that we are a democracy. If most citizens believe we are a democracy then we must be a democracy. The government is running out of other peoples money. There is nothing in the public treasury.

I agree with the authors premise that we are an uneducated nation (intentionally of course) and very selfish. Short-term thinkers is a good way to put it I suppose. Either way there is no more money. Hasn’t been for some time now.

[rbg81]

Sure, it might happen in a nation with a highly educated population. That’s why education is so important to the long-term survival of any nation. But America isn’t a highly-educated nation.

---

Actually, this statement is pure nonsense. Highly educated people are often the most selfish—even as they embrace Utopian ideals (which, of course, someone else will pay for). In short, they often have the “common sense” educated out of them.

[sergeantdave]

Yeh, let’s dig a hole, crawl in and die. Whimpering like a whipped dog is much less trouble than standing tall. Let’s get on our knees and be fitted for chains.

Our Founders had it so much easier than us between 1750 and 1783.

Mike Adams can kiss my Marine Corps ass. GD wimp.

[rbg81]

And hopefully we can figure out a way to improve on the concept of “democracy” for a brighter (and freer) future.

---

I think fundamental to this is the concept that the “right” to vote be earned and not just given to any Joe/Jane Blow. In short, if you want to vote, you actually need to pay taxes. Or you need to have served honorably in the armed forces. In short, something that shows you’ve got a stake in the future of the Nation.

[HangnJudge]

And God Bless You...

I understand your grief
The collapse of western society is imminent
and I suspect that recovery will be
long, painful, and extremely lethal

[liberalh8ter]

People on welfare (government subsidized housing, food stamps, Medicaid) should not be allowed top vote. That would stop politicians from giving them more freebies to buy loyalty.

[sickoflibs]

RE :” our FRee Republic was replaced with a ‘hungry, hungry hippo’ of self feeding democracy, w/o a shot being fired...the basic premise being made is spot on..”

You got to admit that the idea of ‘self funded’ ponzi entitlements was deviously genius. It means that most voters, especially the Republican base (and many here) are sure that those entitlements benefits are their money, even though it has to be taken from someone else. You end up with granny's at Tea Party anti-Obama-care rallies with signs saying :”Keep the government out of my medicare”.

Obama on the other hand is playing it both ways :
1) “Forget about cutting valuable social programs when entitlements cost many, many times more. Cut those big ones instead. ”
2) “Republicans want to take away your entitlements to pay for the rich tax cuts.”

[Notary Sojac]

“Hands off MY Medicare” inevitably translates to “Hands on YOUR wallet”.

[G Larry]

1) America is no longer a God fearing people, as even those claiming to believe, have bought the “no consequences” con.

2) The promise of the nanny state has overwhelmed the populace.

3) Vote fraud grows unabated.

[Clinging Bitterly]

Just whatever Alex Jones tells him I reckon.

There are serious problem here that need fixing, no doubt - and people (especially members of Congress) need to grasp the reality it isn't going to happen without some hardship - but the end of America is not preordained at this point.

[stevie_d_64]

Funny, I thought we were a Representative Republic, not a democracy...But I guess the dunderheads that think they are smart by writing things that they believe the “people” will understand a little better is ludicrous...

That’s where the system is failing...We are so compelled to first dumb down the info, in the intent to ensure the “people” understand something, it is still going to be wrong...

But maybe I am just being nitpicky...

[stevie_d_64]

Not surprisingly, in a free and open democracy, tough, unpopular decisions will almost never be supported by the majority of voters.

---

I remember that in most cases, you can please SOME of the people SOME of the time, but you cannot please ALL of the people ALL the time...

As soon as certain segments of our population understand this (not going to hold my breath) then maybe, things might get a little better...

[ilovesarah2012]

Everyone pays taxes. Are you speaking of a particular sort of tax? How much would we have to pay to be considered eligible to vote? Would we bring our tax returns to the polling booth? How would it work?

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Repeal the 17th Amendment bump!

Great idea, and I'll add another idea to it: any legislator who proposes legislation loses his seat if the legislation doesn't pass. (Back in ancient times there was a Greek colony in Italy where the legislator would lose his life, but I doubt if that would fly today.)

[wintertime]

1) we allowed liberals to take over the schools and replace real knowledge with PC dogma;
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The above statement implies that if we were to remove the liberal that somehow government schools could be fixed. I hope I can persuade you to see that it is the socialist nature of government schools that can not be fixed.

Democracy failed when we allowed government schools to open in the mid-1800s to early 1900s! In only one to three generations we had voters who elected Wilson and Franklin D. Roosvelt! So?....Why did these earliest schools, and why are current government schools, destroying the nation?

*** Government schools are a socialist welfare entitlement. Simply by attending children learn that it is OK for the government to take money from a neighbor to pay for a service their parents want for free. Also....These socialist schools removed from the **father** his responsibility to his family to educate his kids and that was the first whack at the foundations of the family.

** Government schools are collectivist and voter mob managed. Simply by attending children learn to be comfortable with “people's collectives” controlling their lives, deaths, and even their politically correct thoughts!

** Government schools are compulsory. Simply by attending children learn to be comfortable with the police state and government compulsion. ( TSA was not an accident.)

** Today government schools are utterly godless in their worldview. Simply by attending children must learn to think godlessly just to cooperate with the classroom instruction. Our earliest government schools offered up a lukewarm and generic Protestantism. Well? Gee! What did children learn? They learned to be lukewarm about their faith! ( What does Christ do with the lukewarm? He spits them out of His mouth!)

[Ronin]

The Constitution as originally written was and is a fine instrument. It's the various add-ons, exceptions and outright distortions to the Founders original intentions that have screwed things up.

Exempli gratia, look at the Commerce Clause. Does anyone really think the Founders had any idea of the way that would be distorted? Even the Bill of Rights has been tortured all out of recognition.

When those worthy gentlemen wrote the Eight Amendment, they quite reasonably and morally were attempting to codify their revulsion to types of extremely cruel, inhumane and heartless punishment that no civilized person could actually condone -- things like burning at the stake, drawing and quartering, boiling in oil, etc.

They would be flabbergasted to think that their reasonable and intelligent amendment would be stretched to cover things like failing to provide Halal meals to Muslims or even hanging murderers by the neck until dead.

Somehow, we have to get back on course. We need to trash 90% of the useless legislation on the books, destroy the tax code and start over and most importantly, restrict the voting franchise to those that DO pay taxes.

Unless we do, the slide into chaos is certain to continue. In their defense, it was virtually impossible for them to foresee how long the Constitution would last. No doubt they hoped for a good run, but 230 odd years? They would probably be amazed.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Why democracy is failing America

Could it be because idiot/dirtbag/parasites are allowed to vote?

[varon]

BTTT

[LuvFreeRepublic]

Excellent post and I too, see the end is near. It isn't the Democrats fault, it isn't the Republicans fault, it is OUR fault and all you have to do is read any blog, including FreeRepublic, and it is clear we don't have the stomach to fix it. America is going down.