Democracy Doesn't Work

The western system of Government has evolved from the English struggle for freedom. England has gone through ups and downs, ups during the middle ages, downs during the Tudors and Stuarts, in that battle, but by the time of Victorian England Freedom was at it's zenith. Why? Because the monarch was now merely a figurehead subordinate to Parliament and the electrate was INFORMED. It wasn't the perfect system, but it produced a rationist system of Government, and probably the closest to a Libertarian system. Since that time democracy has eroded, the reason is that too many people have the right to vote. The uninformed, the retarded, the elderly, the religious fanatic, the soccer mom. Indeed, while a minority are rational beings, one finds in the majority an irrational streak which results in "tribal" voting, not informed voting.

The best system is one which allows for those who have rationally considered the issues to vote. Instead we have groups, like the evangelicals who systematically vote for the Right wing, simply because it sings its siren song of "family values". These are not the informed voters, these are near apes, voting as their lower brain compels them. They vote for Bush because they have some gut liking for the man, not any serious consideration of issues. The same applies to radical lefties, like the idiot Green voters who cost Gore the election. Too many people vote! I believe that only those who pass a knowledge test should vote. One could complete this test when enrolling to vote. For example, such questions could be asked as, have any WMD been found in Iraq? Where is Iraq on this map? Perhaps an IQ test? This may lead to a better democracy, one in which instead of stampeed like voting practices, citizens carefully weigh up the issues and vote accordingly.

Maybe you think I speak in jest, but let me give you an example. I was recently speaking to an elderly couple about politics. Now, as a student of Neuroscience I am familiar with the theory that as one ages one becomes less able to learn new things. Subsequently, views established in this couples brains 50 yrs ago have prevailed to this day. The result of my conversation left me in no doubt these two old farts shouldn't have the right to vote. They believed the most ridiculous nonsense. When I said no WMD had been found in Iraq, and that even the Republican admin had said this, they both simply ignored this. They also had some rather foul anti-semitic and anti-black opinions which quickly came to the surface. The point is that reason meant nothing to them. Their brains were incapable of taking in new ideas. Of course the old notion that their times were so great quickly came into the fore of our conversation. But what about Hitler? Lynchings? weren't those things terrible. This drew a blank expression from both. What about the shadow of nuclear annihalation that hung over us from '48? One terrorist attack - even many could never equal the terror that nuclear holocaust could? Still they could not think, that's it, they COULD NOT THINK. They were like conditioned rats, going to one side of a cage habitually. Anyway, I walked away disgusted and determined that any perfect democracy wouldn't allow ignorant fools to vote, even if that perfect democracy is only a dream.