The US is not a democracy, but that's not a good thing at all, though it's not something I would expect Walter Williams to understand. It depends, of course, on how you define democracy, and not even all of the founders agreed on it, nor did they all disdain democracy by any means. Williams is simply wrong about that, as he is about many other things. Unfortunately, the definitional problem still as controversial today in many ways as it was 200 years ago. If you define democracy as majority rule, then that is consistent with majority tyranny, which is a bad thing. But hardly anyone today who favors democracy defines it in that simple-minded way. In my view, a good short definition is equal power to determine what the outcomes of major decisionmaking processes will be, combined with minority rights that prevent majorities from exercising power in ways that are significantly or routinely detrimental to minorities. By that definition, you can either have democracy or some sort of minority rule, which might be fine if you are in society's ruling class, though even that might not be so fine if it led to violent or destructive conflicts of the kinds that minority rule has so often resulted in.
-Ralph Suter In a message dated 3/1/06 10:30:27 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << Quoting Paul Kislanko <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > (this is what has happened in the US over > the last 8 years to make the US the mockery of democracy). Aaarg...The United States ISN'T a democracy - at least not yet and let's hope it never truly becomes one. For more info, I might recommend reading: How to create conflict http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/walterwilliams/2006/03/01/188010.html "The word "democracy" appears in neither of our founding documents -- the Declaration of Independence nor the U.S. Constitution. Our nation's founders had disdain for democracy and majority rule." >> ---- election-methods mailing list - see http://electorama.com/em for list info
