The fallacy of democracy

What difference does it make if who your prime minister, president or head of state is in a democracy if your vote doesn't matter.

Ask yourself, what did your one lousy vote , or the 5 votes of your friends or your family actually do or accomplish.

Nothing, your current president or prime minister would still be in power.

Because of one basic law in the rules of democracy, all it takes is for one vote to win. take a presidential race for example.

Even if everybody in a democracy stayed at home and didn't vote, all the presidential candidate or any candidate for that matter has to do is vote for himself, and he'll be your president.

But if no one voted, it would be a dictatorship if he tried to enforce his rule. but since most democracies have a constitution that you are forced into, (because you didn't sign the constitution, you most likely weren't alive), it is the law of the land. you can either accept it, most do, or not. it still is a choice in a democracy.

In a sense, all you are doing if you vote is to give power to someone else in hopes there is no bloodshed, most likely your own. that is the theory. or for strength and capabilities, which is ideal and best.

It can be form of cowardice to vote, if you do it for that reason (to avoid someone from picking up a gun and taking rule by force). or out gunned, not in the case of america though. its a form of giving your lunch money to the bully. in that case it's better not to vote, and let him pretend he's president etc. while you live your life free and peacefully. that's why some politicians treat the people with contempt and like "sheeple".

To me, it's much better not to vote, since your one vote won't change who is president. at best it will form a tie, and if you do vote, vote for yourself as a write in, and you'll be president of yourself and your family if they voted for you.

In america if you did this, you'll be legally president, of yourself. in a free land, which america declared in its independence, as a) you didn't sign the constitution there fore it has no legal authority or binding, unless the laws changed and a contract not signed by you is legally enforceable and b) you did it in within the framework and power given to you by it. (the write in).

To truly be free in america, vote for yourself, that is the secret. your house i.e. land will be an unratified independent state as it legally belongs to you, or territory, part of the united states entitled to every protection and privilege as other states and as much right to state hood as any other state or group of people.

If you don't accept the constitution as legally binding, you'll be an independent state in charge of your defence, police, ambulance, hospital, taxes, maintenance etc.

This is the brilliance of the american constitution to ensure you remained free. (from the rule of others without your approval, ie. the vote.)

That is why the second amendment is in place, to ensure you have the right to defend your state, your house, from others. and that right to protect yourself with the same firepower as any state, "shall not be infringed".

That is according to the constitution, which the authors believed are rights given by God.

But your laws can't conflict with God's laws and the human rights given by God and God's law supersedes all human laws as we all live under God. (this is the only way to prevent total chaos every time you stepped on someones property).


The moral of the story is, to me, and if you agree; so what if obama or the easter bunny is president, as long you're alive, happy and at peace, let them play president and senators. as long as they don't interfere directly, i.e. show up at your door, be your own president in your own whitehouse with your presidential car and your own first lady.

In america, especially and every democracy, you have just as much right.

The fallacy of democracy is not limited to the sickness of the voting systems that are in place in nations which subscribe to that political methodology.

My main issue with it is this. Lets say I cast a vote for the eventual winner of an election. I will have cast that vote, based on what I know about the party for which I voted, the leader of that party, and thier campaign points, or promises. Personally speaking, I make an effort to know as much as possible about the political situation in my country, and about the players and attitudes they hold, so that I know whose bandwagon seems to be the best fit for my own thinking, who will support the things I believe in, and deal with those things that I believe are causing damage to our nation and its people.

However, once that party has my vote, all its promises, and its apparant attitudes become nothing more than vapour, smoke on a stiff breeze. Once in power, a party can, and does, do whatever the hell it pleases for the next four years, about which one can do nothing, save waiting until the next election to vote them out, by which point more damage has been done.

A real world example is the Liberal Democrat party, joining a coallition with the thrice cursed Conservative party here in the UK. I was sick of the Labour party, because they had stepped away from thier socialist and working class roots, populated now by at least as many toffs as the Conservative party, and totaly incompetent to boot. The Conservatives have always been a bane on people of my background, because they mistakenly believe that people who are not affluent are some sort of disease. The Liberal Democrats however were making all the right noises, talking about making the richest pay the biggest share of the nations debt, making the banks pay back the money they lost us, raising the tax threshold so poorer people and families do not end up being taxed money that they cannot afford which would prevent them from making advancements in thier lives and circumstances... All sounded gravy really.

Thier veiws seemed utterly opposed to those of the Conservative party, and at no point was that as clear, as during the three way, live televised debate that was shown here, between the leaders of those parties. When the vote was called so close that a coallition was a possibility, with no party achieving numbers enough to lead alone, I was APPALLED when the Liberal Democrats jumped into bed with the Conservatives. It seemed to me that a) My vote had been given under false pretence, because I had assumed that the Liberal Democrats would, like me, rather see NO government , than one that contained a single Conservative thought or initiative, and b) that the resulting abomination of any such union, would be destructive and schizophrenic at best, and a worst a total nightmare.

I, as an individual, and as a part of a growing number of people who think similarly, have no power to prevent my vote being used against my people. Although I would never wish to live in a dictatorship, I wonder what democracy really means, when people who embrace it are betrayed on such a regular basis by the people for whom they vote. At the moment, it feels very much as if all voting really achieves, is to give a government a stick to beat us with, as if they are saying "Well, YOU voted for this, so bend over and take what you asked for!".

On a local level, I recently attended a town council planning meeting, which was open to be observed, but not participated in, by the public. The discussion focused on plans for a new museum. The trouble is that the area they were going to use is historically important in terms of its old buildings, and ecologically important, being part of a landsliped area, turned earth having sprouted several species of flora and given homes to various small creatures, making it a unique environment, worthy of study. Also, being an area prone to landslip, placing a massive steel and glass museum on it, is insane.

When others in the public gallery protested in vocal terms, the councilman leading the discussion in the chamber, announced "We are the democratically elected members of this council. If you wish to participate on our level, then get yourselves elected. For now though, be quiet or you will be removed from the premises!". Despite public protest, technical concerns from engineers and so on, the motion was passed.

What democracy is there, if people in power get to decide when it can, and cannot be partaken of by a citizen? What is the point of it, if the ONLY power the individual has, can be wielded in such limited confines of time, of place? Democracy in and of itself, is not an answer to any question worth asking.

My one lousy vote helped to make prop 215 law. It helped to stop the rescinding of rent control.

Without the vote you would have no voice at all. As much as democracy is not perfect, anything else would mean tyranny.

We should be working to ensure democracy works, not getting rid of it.

reply to post by ANOK


Unless the people have the power to remove any government acting against the wishes and morals of the people, at a time of the peoples choosing, not at the end of a four year term, I fail to see what the difference between a democracy and a velvet wrapped dictatorship is. They have the same habits, save for longevity.

reply to post by TrueBrit


Well I agree, but there is more to voting than just the president, or prime minister. I have never voted in that mess, if I did I would just vote 'no'.

Don't any of you pay attention to local issues? That is where you vote counts, it's all we have.

Think globally, act locally eh? Vote on issues, not for people.

reply to post by ANOK


Precisely. And locally, as nationally, there is no mechanism for the electorate to lay down the law to parliament and government, and either force those bodies to act as instructed, as they have PROMISED to act, or face being kicked out in short order.

Local government is just as fond of boning the voter as the big boys in Westminister. We have no control over our fate in this country, and I get the feeling that the same could be said of many other democratic nations.