What is democratic about a government where the law makers treat themselves as if above the law?

Question

For law makers you could read politicians ...

Answer 1

You have sussed out that democracy is often over-rated. There is no clear evidence that democracy produces more freedom for its citizens. It does allow them to re-elect the government every so often, but in the interim, they can actually be more restricted than other forms of government because they are deemed to have surrendered their rights to their so-called representatives who often go on to behave with impunity and disregard for their constituencies. What is needed is what Karl Popper calls 'open society', but democracy is not a sufficient or even necessary condition for it. It is one in which enlightened people can govern themselves without politicians.

Answer 2

You answered your own question... politicians.

law makers and politicians - great 21st Century oxymoron !!

Maybe Joe and Jane public should not be so apathetic about where they put thier cross on the ballot sheet in any election...

IT IS YOU who are paying thier wages.... Simple as !!

THAT is the only democratic part... the fact that Joe and Jane Public get to put a X on a piece of paper and put that sheet in the box... mind you, if you live in NI it's more of a nightmare because we get to put numbers in the boxes not a X... note the plural of the word numberS... our ballot box is about 12-18" long thanks to equal opportunity laws....

It's GREAT fun having "so much democratic power" .... eeny meeny miny mo......

Answer 3

What is democracy?. It is just a word.

Democracy means first of all, free speech. - Tell me any country on earth where free speech is practised.

In Britain you have to be careful what you say or you will be taken to court and children have to watch what they say, otherwise they will be expelled from school.

A 10 year old boy told an asylum seeker in Luton to go back to her own country and there is talk of prosecuting him. She laced into him, really assaulted him.

Our MPs harp on about democracy but we are about as democratic as the old Soviet Union.

Answer 4

What makes it democratic is the people have the power to vote those unethical 'leaders' out. The problem is that the people rarely exercise that power, primarily because an ever-growing number owe their living to government handouts. That number is approaching majority level, and when that happens, the US will become a full-fledged Socialist country.

Answer 5

Nothing. Nothing at all.

We don't live in the fairytale country we were raised to believe it was.

America is as much a Democracy as Santa is really a joyly, happy, old fat white man bringing presents and eating the left out milk-n-cookies.

Check out chomsky.info

Chok full of great stuff

Answer 6

Power corrupts absolute power corrupts absolutely. Not original I know but when members of parliament (UK) do there job properly the tendency is reduced. Mp s have not done their job properly since the Blairina became Prime Minister

Answer 7

Democracy in the U.S is an illusion. The overwhelming majority of Americans are working class people yet the U.S. is ruled by the capitalist elite -- meaning we are ruled by the very people who rape us at our jobs, cut our benefits and offshore our jobs. If the U.S. were truly a democracy, it would be governed by the working class with their best interests paramount.

"If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." -- Emma Goldman

Answer 8

If you are referring to the current administration you are looking at a kind of dictatorship

Answer 9

Crooked, inept, lazy, arrogant, etc.. are descriptions of people and have nothing to do with the form of government they happen to be under.

Answer 10

Doesn't have to be a democracy, that would apply to all governments.