Re-invention of democracy is needed

Dictatorships have their advantage. One guy up there can decide what’s best for the country and do it.

Not so with big democracies these days where people have to elect their officials after long drawn out campaigns, etc. Then you have to go through the channels to let everybody get a cut of the pie. The result is less efficiency, a lot of waste and not much fair play.

Take for example our system of giving earmarks to some of the population but not to others. Politics often takes precedence in deciding where those earmarks should go in exchange for votes on other matters. And some areas end up getting very little.

Such is the case with the federal health care reform bill which is expected to pass or fail this week. The bill is so long and complicated that most of the people do not really know what is in it. And we suspect that some of our legislators who will vote on it do not either. They are following party dictates and the wishes of political contributors.

All of this on a bill that will regulate one-sixth of this nation’s economy. The shuffling that has gone on in Congress in passing or defeating it has not stood out as a good example of democracy.

So how do we solve such problems caused by politics in our democracy? Not by resorting to dictatorship. That could be worse if we got a chieftain up there whose desires for the country do not coincide with that of the people.

Reducing the size of federal government to primarily serve its original purposes of protecting our liberty and freedom would go a long way to making it less complicated, less expensive and more effective. Most other matters that government has to be involved in could be accomplished by state and local governments where the lawmakers are closer to the people.

Of course, federal taxes would have to be reduced a great deal which could be accomplished with reduced government in Washington. Then state and local taxes could be passed to serve the increased responsibilities of those governments.
And much of the decision- making on governmental operations would be made close to the people they serve. It seems that is the way democracy should work.

No, dictatorship will not work. A re-invention of democracy is the answer.