Is democracy causing its own demise?

It is said that many great civilizations of the past were destroyed not by outside forces but internal ones (the Roman Empire for eg), looking at the conflicts in the world today, has democracy outlived its usefulness and turned on itself? Or is it at the end of its current cycle?

Democracy is on the verge of death, especially with many of the things that Bush has done to help it die (more so then any other president in the last 3 or 4 decades). Now yes he is not the sole cause of its death, it has been dying for longer then he has been in office. Clinton who was a million times better president (and far more intelligent and eloquent) is even guilty of doing some things wrong. We can't simply blame the past and current presidents alone however because they do not constitute the entirety of our governmental system. We also can’t blame the judicial branch or the legislative branch by themselves. Even with those three branches making up our governmental system we can’t blame the governmental system for the dying of democracy. As our fore fathers wrote “A government of, by and for the people” I.E. the true voice of democracy, at least as said fore fathers saw it was from the masses at large living in America. That means that if democracy truly dies and or fails then we as a people let it die.

So that raises the questions “Are we going to do something about it?” and “Are we doing something about it now?” I would say that there are forces at work to try and prevent democracy from dying and or falling apart. That means that it is not simply dying but metamorphosing into something else and or adapting to the changing times. I think that the way that many in congress have exploited the American public for there’s and their rich friend’s greed has been one of the single biggest factors in the dying of democracy. The reason that it was left to continue for so long unchecked is that political apathy has grown and run rampant in this country. Look at nearly any other country and when the government rigs an election so that the dictator in power gets to stay there the people don’t just complain and whine about it they react and do something about it. That is not to say that they are always successful but at least they respond in a much more proactive and effective manner then we as Americans do.

I don’t remember which country it was but right after the 2000 election there was a country where the public knew that the opposition party had won the election in a land slide yet the current government had rigged the voting so that they would stay in power. The public was so outraged that they all flooded the downtown region and protested by camping out in the streets. Big deal you say except that so many people did it that it shut down the capital and brought the country to a halt as it where. How willing where we as Americans to do the same when Bush won the presidency illegally. It obviously didn’t happen and probably wouldn’t happen today if McCain pulled the same stunt as Bush did.

Not all of these ideas are my own they are what my view has been shaped in to by everything that I have read and viewed over the years. Now I’ll get some rather heavy responses to my next statement and will probably alienate many of you but here goes anyway. My greatest personal hero right now is Al Gore. After loosing in 2000 he could have easily sulked and moped and whined about his loss but he didn’t. At least not for very long he didn’t. He realized that for his own mental health and the health of his marriage and family he had to reinvent himself and that is exactly what he did. Now I consider myself an environmentalist tried and true and I believe that global warming is real and that if we don’t make drastic changes we are going to be in for some seriously rough times in the future if we aren’t already. I have seen the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” and think it is one of the single most important documentaries of our time. The movie is one example of how Gore has reinvented himself. I’m not saying the man is perfect far from it but he is better then most.

His new book “The Assault on Reason” is in my opinion one of the better explanations as of late as to what is going wrong with society and government and how to go about fixing it. I highly recommend everyone read it.

Okay that is my 2 cents now let the heated responses commence.

Sorry to disappoint, but no heated backlash here.

I agree, it is the people, but I would add it is also the press who are at fault for any failure of democracy. In particular, I think the failure of the press (TV and newspapers) is key. Without proper and unbiased covering of the news, the public is left with half truths mixed into a bland mush. Mass media owners (such as Rupert Murdoch) who illegally have developed monopolies and have been sanctioned and protected by the likes of Bush, control what the public knows. The press was once regarded as a guardian of democracy...now it is, for the most part, a sad reflection of former glory.

Even my 14-year-old daughter has asked me, Why is the war not being covered with footage of what is going on? I wonder, if it was covered with the same energy that Vietnam was...would things be different? But then, I am one of those radicals who never believed war was the answer...the answer was to use that money instead to find alternative energy sources...that would have hurt the terrorists where it would have mattered most by decreasing their funding source...and it would have given the US much more respect than Bush's smirking antics ever will.

As a journalist, I am ashamed of what has happened in my profession. A profession once known for true investigative journalism, for having those brave enough to stick their necks out. Now, those who try are fired or demoted into oblivion.

Without knowledge, without information, democracy suffers and secrecy prevails.

I fully agree on the matter of the press I just didn't want to make my post any longer then it already was. I get my news from places like Democracy Now and Mother Jones magazine which also has a website. Those news organizations are thankfully still not owned by Rupert Murdock or a part of the worst news organization on the planet Fox news so they are willing to tell the truth. I fear the golden era of Woodward & Bernstein has left us even though they are still around and fighting the good fight.

I would give a heated backlash, but I am rather tired of proposing logical arguments that are to argue against your feelings and emotions. It is just not a productive use of time.

In regards to the 2000 election ... Al Gore wanted a recount in only three counties, three counties that he had won by a land slide.

In regards to the news media, there are two sides ... The side that will villanize the right-wing and the side that will villanize the left-wing. Unbiased reporting is what you want?? I have not seen it on CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN etc ever. There is always a slant, which side of the issue do they give air time too ...

Back on topic, I think Democracy is fine, though I would much prefer if it was done with a libertarian slant, which will likely never happen in this country.

The problem with democracy in the USA is that it isn't one, nor has it ever been one. The USA is a democratic republic.

Democracy, at its base, is a "mob rule" mentality and our founding fathers wanted to protect us from our own demise (and the courts and Congress have tried to subvert that for over 40 years, claiming powers that don't belong to them).

Democracy has always been a fraud. Its designed to shift the blame to everyone instead of blaming the person in charge. Leadership only works when each person is solely in charge of a responsibilty. Once responsibility is shared (democracy), nobody is accountable.

For two reasons, I think.

First, most of the news from Iraq right now is positive: U.S. deaths are at their lowest level since the initial invasion, civilian casualties are down, and normalcy (e.g., street life) is returning to Baghdad. But, sadly, steady progress and uneventful days don't make headlines; suicide bombers blowing things to smithereens make headlines. (Compounding this phenomenon is the fact that the vast majority of the popular media leans strongly to the Left, and has no motive to trumpet news that will put wind in the Right's sails.)

Second, I think people in the United States are simply more concerned with the state of the economy that with the state of the Iraq war.

I think that both the Left and the Right truly believe, deep down, that they are the ones who really care about America, and the other guys are evil incarnate and must be destroyed.

But I think the truth is that the ideals and principles that our country was founded upon are being undermined by both the Left and the Right.

You recommended Gore's The Assault on Reason. Fair enough. I'll return the favor:

The Revolution: A Manifesto, by Ron Paul

While Ron Paul isn't perfect (what politician is?), I think he cares more about democracy, our country, and the Constitution than everyone else in Congress combined. If you're really as concerned with the state of democracy in the United States as you seem to be, please read the book and see if what Ron Paul says doesn't resonate with you as well.

(You can read the first 10 pages or so of the book on Amazon, and probably other online booksellers as well.)

i'm not gonna get into wheither democracy as a whole is dying, however, I think that democracy, as defined by the founding fathers for america, is definately in it's death throes. While I staunchly defend the beliefs of my plitical party as a whole, I DO NOT agree with what is going on in our goverment. It is a huge,muddled mess that will take years to fix, if it can be fixed at all. Despite all the desire by the masses for "change" this country is still run by a "good-ol'-boy" system that MUST be destroyed if we are to have any hope of moving foward at all. I blame both the media- who, as said earlier, have some sort of bias,NEVER giving the story in it's entirety, both omitting as well as embellishing facts. i blame hollywood, for "glorifying" decadent, spoiled, selfish lifesyles. I blame lax lawmakers, for seeing crimes such as abuse, drug use, prostituion, etc. and turning a blind eye. I blame society, who treat marriage, relationships, friends and people in general as disposible. Society has also contributed greatly to the breakdown of morals and beliefs in this country.Laziness and sloth run rampant here, as people depend entirely on "the system" to kep them afloat- filing "disability" for your nerves,or drinking habits so you don't have to work. Taking your food stamps and selling them for drug/alcohol money. Using your child support for a keg party, or to buy clothes for yourself, running around in Nikes and areopostatle, while your child looks like a project reject reject in dirty, ill-fitting Salvation-army donations. (Sorry for the rants, but I have seen this kind of stuff firsthand) THIS IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA!!! People who don't want a helping hand to a better life (we all need help sometimes, I do myself) but a handout that they drain dry without ever contributing anything to help someone else. When this country once again cares more for it's own- our veterans, children,poor, uneducated,uninsured-than it does for the refugees flooding the country, the illegal aliens who are committing a crime by being here(and don't bash me here, I have NO problem with people who come here, but do it PROPERLY)and the criminals in our justice system who have more rights/priveleges than John and Jane Doe on the streets, maybe, just maybe, our country will return to what it once was. Right now it is but a shadow of it's former self, a laughingstock for other nations, and in general, an enemy of the world.

I'll get off my soapbox now... :P

Democracy is a a double edged sword. It gives us the most freedoms to do what we wish but it also requires the greatest effort to keep up. The problem is that democracy conflicts with fundamental behaviors of all biological organisms, to as little as possible to survive. This is biological efficiency. Humans are no different in this regard, we're just animals.

Democracy opens up this base nature to problems. When a large number of individuals get together that don't want to do anything, they simply vote resources for themselves and designate others to do it for them. In this regard, a democracy only differs from a dictatorship in that the oppressors aren't the most ruthless nor are the ones born into the position but the ones that simply have the greatest numbers. Democracy is the tyranny of the majority.

The Representative Republic was a method to circumvent this problem, protecting the minority from the majority, but it runs on a fundamental problem of those being voted into power being the ones to uphold the rules. The representatives aren't going to follow the rules if the majority doesn't want them to. Hence why the United States has numerous Unconstitutional laws, government agencies and programs ranging from Social Security and gun controls to the Patriot Act and the Federal Communications Commission.

At the end of the day, all we can do is make the best of whatever rules are currently in place and be ready to change when those rules change. That is where success in life bridges. A smart, cunning and inventive person can thrive under any political system. That is all we can do.

Thank you for saying this. It annoys me to no end when people call the United States a democracy. The U.S. was never meant to be one, and the founding fathers are rolling over in their graves as we grow closer and closer to becoming one.

There is also a sense of entitlement among the masses in this country. All you have to do is look at commercial ads to see where the people's loyalties truly lie. It seems we believe that we are all entitled to the coolest toys, the most cutting edge technology, the best cars, etc. and no one wants to pay for it. With all of our freedoms and privileges, there is a price. And most people don't want to pay for it.

Ask anyone in Europe, especially in the second world countries, how much they have been paying for gas in the last decade and you will be shocked as to how spoiled we've been for so long. We live like kings and queens compared to a great deal of the rest of Western civilization, but all that starting to change as our economy keeps taking hits. If trends continue, the E.U. is going to destroy the dollar, and we are going to eventually have to live like everybody else...with less. Welcome to the future, America.

Oh, and no one wants to pay for it.

I hate to be picky but I think it is important to say that the United States is not a democracy or even a democratic republic. We are a Constitutional Republic which means that the elected legislature (in theory) may only decide policy and pass laws that do not conflict with the written law of the land. This principle has been abused beyond recognition and its loss started us on the road to the erosion of our freedom. When I hear people praise democracy it makes me shudder because a single tyrant can be overthrown but millions of irrational voters pose (as they have proven) a far more deadly threat to our nation. We have adopted a collectivistic view towards society while only paying lip service to the ideals of freedom and individualism that started our country on its path to greatness. We have become a socialist nation and our decline is caused by the fatal flaws that riddle every socialist system ever devised. The government no longer represents citizens, it opresses them. A government should protect its citizens from assault, theft, and fraud. Anything beyond that will inhibit personal freedom not protect or enhance it. In the end only a society based upon mutual consent and respect for the individual will prosper. We have coasted for too long on the accomplishments of our ancestors and must renew the spirit of individualism and self-responsibility that made our country great. For better or worse the people in office are representative of the views of the voters. An informed, ethical, and responsible electorate will choose one of their own and so too will an ignorant, selfish, and lazy one. Forgive the speech but sometimes it feels like the only thing I can do to try to bring about change.

You bring up good points especially in regard to self-responsibility...but how do you police it? It is human nature to take care of oneself instead of one's fellow citizens. Also, yes the government's job is to represent citizens, but isn't it also its job to serve them? It would appear that their are some who believe that only certain people in the populace are worthy of being served while others due to their status are just lazy no-good panhandlers. Is it not the government's job to serve the people? And by this I mean, ALL the people?

Serve the people in what way?

It isn't the federal government's job to provide me with healthcare or a job. Its job is to help protect my civil rights, fund, train, and arm the military, and maintain the infrastructure, and not a whole lot more. Heck, technically Social Security is unconstitutional. The federal government shouldn't be providing a retirement fund.