Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Peter
US democracy is stronger now than it's ever been. You alarmists should read some history books about the way it used to be.
U.S. democracy is at its weakest in a long time.
- There is very little advancement of popular policy preferences. Studies show that the overwhelming majority, those in the bottom 98% of income, have essentially no influence over policy. Take gun control or health care for examples where the majority opinion is essentially ignored.
- Many of the most substantial policy initiatives are prepared and launched in secret, without public debate or consent of any form. See the massive domestic spying program or the TPP.
- The popularity of congress is at an all time low. Yet the incumbents are re-elected at an amazing clip, consistently in the high 90s. The nominations of Trump and Hillary, the two most disliked candidates in any presidential race since that was measured, are further evidence that undesirable candidates are being foisted upon the public. The system is set up so decent people can't run. You can't have a democracy when your candidates are chosen for you by moneyed interests. The two party stranglehold, and it's severe limitations within, decrease democracy as it gets stronger.
- If any of you people understood how vulnerable the actual voting systems are, or had a summary of some of the documented/proven election chicanery that has been going on, you might be a little freaked out. You can't have democracy without the voting mechanism itself being fairly run.
- Disenfranchisement efforts are recently reinvigorated.
- Even with all the anti-democratic devices listed above, probably the biggest threat is gerrymandering. I don't see that being discussed ITF or in the media ever, but it is an insidious problem of massive proportion.