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Neoliberalism and the End of Democracy [pdf]

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Re: Neoliberalism and the End of Democracy [pdf]

#11
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You cannot have freedom without democracy (unless of course you're part of the ruling class). When someone else rules over you, you aren't free. Democracy does not guarantee freedom but it greatly increases the chances and distributes it more equally. Your chance of being "tyrannized" by the majority is less than 50%. A ruling class you aren't part of will tyrannize you.

> When someone else rules over you, you aren't free. That is the case in today's so called democracies. Just because you pick your ruler doesn't mean you have any say in the fate of society. check the video for actual democracy: https://youtu.be/qH43YHaUGyQ

See the difference between saying democracy is necessary for freedom and saying that democracy obviates freedom. Parent comment only made claim to the former.

Re: Neoliberalism and the End of Democracy [pdf]

#12

Why is it necessary to dig so far to understand the decay of American democracy? Today's problems are impossible without simple gerrymandering and the idiosyncrasies of the electoral college. It's not a deep problem.

What exactly are you saying is the problem? Even if it’s as simple as you claim, those “simple” problems are apparently not subject to repair. So long as that is the case, I recommend considering that the problem does in-fact have a bit more depth to it.

Re: Neoliberalism and the End of Democracy [pdf]

#13

Why is it necessary to dig so far to understand the decay of American democracy? Today's problems are impossible without simple gerrymandering and the idiosyncrasies of the electoral college. It's not a deep problem.

What exactly are you saying is the problem? Even if it’s as simple as you claim, those “simple” problems are apparently not subject to repair. So long as that is the case, I recommend considering that the problem does in-fact have a bit more depth to it.

The problem is that the USG isn't responsive to the well being of it's people because it doesn't need to be. The reasons are mostly abuses of technicalities which are different in our present time than they were in Rome ~yr0 ce.

They are subject to repair.

Our nation's brightest political theorists such as Lawrence Lessig have put forth simple solutions to their credit. Theres the majority vote interstate compact which has been ratified by many states already. Simple vornoi redistricting would solve the gerrymandering problem.

Ideologies and philosophies don't build civilizations. They distract otherwise capable people. Practical circumstances shape civilizations. That's really the major lesson of the classics if you read them.

Re: Neoliberalism and the End of Democracy [pdf]

#14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When someone else rules over you, you aren't free. That is the case in today's so called democracies. Just because you pick your ruler doesn't mean you have any say in the fate of society. check the video for actual democracy: https://youtu.be/qH43YHaUGyQ

See the difference between saying democracy is necessary for freedom and saying that democracy obviates freedom. Parent comment only made claim to the former.

Nor did I make any claim about our current democracies being democracies (though "no say" is an exaggeration).
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