On 11/19/2016 6:14 PM, Edwina Taborsky wrote:
I don't think that democracy 'is human destiny', and I don't believe that we are moving 'in the direction of goodness'.
I agree. Just look at history. Greece and Rome had democracies. But both of those democracies were toppled by tyrants (AKA monarchs) (AKA emperors) (AKA dictators). Over the centuries there have been many kinds of governments with voting systems, but the voters were usually a limited number of property owners. Sometimes they were privileged nobility (e.g., the nobles who forced the king to sign the Magna Cara). But those elective systems are usually very unstable. Look at all the monarchs, emperors, and republics that France had after their big revolution at the end of the 18th century. The United States is the world's oldest surviving democracy. The many checks and balances in the Constitution have often led to stagnation (as in recent years), but they have successfully prevented a takeover by a dictator -- at least until now. Let's hope it survives another 4 years. John
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