That’s not democracy. That’s actually “populism”. That’s two wolves and a sheep voting to have lamb chops for dinner.
“Democracy” is the concept of government by consent of the governed. It is the idea that political power flows from the people, rather than a god, king, or dictator. Anything that makes an individual subordinate to another individual or group must be suppressed.
Democracy is a minority of sheep expelling a majority of wolves from the sheep’s pasture.
Consider “Panem”, the fictional nation in The Hunger Games universe. Panem has 12 sparsely populated rural satellite districts, and a highly populated capitol district. It is a populist nation, with the residents of the Capitol district ultimately controlling the entirety of the nation, without regard for the whims and wishes of anyone in the numbered districts. That minority is irrelevant to Panem politics.
It is not a democratic nation: the numbered districts do not voluntarily consent to the capitol, but are forced to accept the rule of that tyrannical government. 1-person 1-vote does not achieve anything close to a democracy in Panem.
For democracy to exist in Panem, the satellite districts need to be empowered to reject the dictates of the national government. A hundred people in District 12 need to be able to supersede the will of a million people in the Capitol when they attempt to impose on the hundred. The hundred must be able to effectively govern themselves, as must the million, but neither may impose on the other without the other’s consent.
The solution to the problem of Wyomingites having more power than Californians in Congress is to transfer the offending powers of Congress to the states, so Californians can enact the laws they want, and Wyomingites enact he laws they want.
What you’re describing is a dictatorship, which is neither democracy nor populism. Populism is not a solution a dictatorship either.
Where an overwhelming majority in rural areas disagree with an overwhelming majority in urban areas on an issue, the democratic approach calls for that issue to be removed from that higher level of government, and leave it to be decided at a lower level.
He tried to stop democracy. It may be flawed, but it’s all we have right now.
Democracy means one [hu]man one vote.
It does not mean Wyomingites are eleventyseven times more powerful than Californians in Congress.
That’s not democracy. That’s actually “populism”. That’s two wolves and a sheep voting to have lamb chops for dinner.
“Democracy” is the concept of government by consent of the governed. It is the idea that political power flows from the people, rather than a god, king, or dictator. Anything that makes an individual subordinate to another individual or group must be suppressed.
Democracy is a minority of sheep expelling a majority of wolves from the sheep’s pasture.
Consider “Panem”, the fictional nation in The Hunger Games universe. Panem has 12 sparsely populated rural satellite districts, and a highly populated capitol district. It is a populist nation, with the residents of the Capitol district ultimately controlling the entirety of the nation, without regard for the whims and wishes of anyone in the numbered districts. That minority is irrelevant to Panem politics.
It is not a democratic nation: the numbered districts do not voluntarily consent to the capitol, but are forced to accept the rule of that tyrannical government. 1-person 1-vote does not achieve anything close to a democracy in Panem.
For democracy to exist in Panem, the satellite districts need to be empowered to reject the dictates of the national government. A hundred people in District 12 need to be able to supersede the will of a million people in the Capitol when they attempt to impose on the hundred. The hundred must be able to effectively govern themselves, as must the million, but neither may impose on the other without the other’s consent.
The solution to the problem of Wyomingites having more power than Californians in Congress is to transfer the offending powers of Congress to the states, so Californians can enact the laws they want, and Wyomingites enact he laws they want.
Oh yeah, I’m sure the current system of one wolf deciding for a population of a hundred sheep to have lamb chops for dinner is true democracy.
What you’re describing is a dictatorship, which is neither democracy nor populism. Populism is not a solution a dictatorship either.
Where an overwhelming majority in rural areas disagree with an overwhelming majority in urban areas on an issue, the democratic approach calls for that issue to be removed from that higher level of government, and leave it to be decided at a lower level.
A bunch of dinosaurs in congress serving the needs of the wolves (the rich) is not democracy.
Agreed. That’s an oligarchy.
We’re becoming more and more a kakistocracy.
Oh look… a right-winger that doesn’t understand what the word democracy means.
Yawn.