Category Archives: Problems with Democracies

Take a look at the new book by B Regan Asher called Why the World Sucks and What We Can Do About It.

For democracy to work everyone has to understand what it means. Take the concept of equality. Democracy derives its power from the people: because no class or group has a monopoly on political power, democracy minimizes prejudicial behavior against a group. However, this equality does not mean that everyone should be treated the same. For… Read more »

It is no coincidence that many politicians are independently wealthy. Though politics does not necessarily pay poorly, it typically does not pay well, certainly not commensurate with the responsibility. So what motivates a politician to run for office if the pay is not great? One answer is power but another answer is financial self-interest. A… Read more »

Money can be a wonderful thing. It can provide nice things for us and for our loved ones. It can give us a better standard of living. But it can also buy legal clout and political power and that’s where democracies have failed. The whole idea of democracy is to keep government power out of… Read more »

For a democracy to work, citizens must believe that their vote means something and that the government they have elected is acting in their best interests. In other words, democracy is about trust. How can a citizen believe in the system if the system doesn’t make sense. This is not about politics, not about socialism… Read more »

Democracy is about the right of the electorate to control its country and this means its right to ensure fairness in all aspects of life. This posting is about the right of a democracy to limit the powers of monopolies. This is not really an economic discussion; it is a discussion about fairness and applies… Read more »

We all learned in school the basic legal precept that we are innocent until proven guilty. How then can someone be guilty until proven innocent in a democracy? Governments are elected by the people so what kind of electorate would vote in a government which would suspend such a basic individual right? The answer to… Read more »

There is nothing inherently undemocratic about unions so long as they abide by standard democratic rules: members vote on important decisions (in particular contracts) and voting is conducted through secret ballots to avoid intimidation. If a group of employees wishes to form a union in order collectively bargain with its employer, this may be good… Read more »

Even in countries many would consider the most advanced democracies in the world, there is hypocrisy. Witness Canada, where the government is strengthening the role of the monarch by insisting that Queen Elizabeth’s picture be placed in all Canadian embassies and missions worldwide. Monarchy is simply not compatible with democracy. A monarch is not elected… Read more »

Democracies certainly seemed to work better years ago when a majority of people were honorable and had a sense of duty. Society seemed to be full of individuals who made decisions not only to benefit themselves but also to benefit their families, their friends, their communities and their society as a whole. Of course self… Read more »