So, what is the best form of government?

No Poll. Those are for dogs to piss on. We want your words here because this is a discussion forum.

I shall unabashedly proclaim myself to be a true democrat. I consider the best form of government to be that of a pure democracy where the people rule themselves.

It is my opinion that the system of government that is in use throughout the western world today is not democracy - the western nations are mostly just constitutional republics building little Potemkin villages of 'popular representation' to pretend they are democratic, when the representative party system can only be described as little more than 'factional' amongst the same elite class. Democracy it is not. They are Republics with 'glass ceilings' on the franchise and representatively structured barriers to the will people.

(Side note: this 'factionalism' amongst the elite class reminds me of the mid-15th century - particularly notable in Northern Italy, the Low Countries, France, Germany and England - a time of profound transformation occurring in society - the time of the actual shift from feudal to modern society - by the time Shakespeare comes along a hundred years later, the shift is a done deal - the western world had turned 'modern').

Pure democracy holds that the people rule themselves. That seems to me to be the only honourable system of government for civilised human beings. If all citizens are to be subject to the rule of law, then it only follows that all citizens ought to be concerned with the making of those rules.

So does anyone have any other suggestion as to the best form of government?

Or an argument with mine? Or perhaps just interested in 15th/16th century western Europe?

Or any idea about how a real democracy could function on a mass scale? Hmm...

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[I]Remember what the dormouse said, 'feed your head'. [/I]

Are we talking only in terms of what might be practically applied/enforced?

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[b][SIZE=2]"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases."[/b][/SIZE]

-Thomas Jefferson

A pure democracy is simply mob rule. Whatever 50% +1 says, goes. Hardly a form that protects the rights of any minority views.

I am a firm advocate of "Goverment that governs least, governs best". Just enough to prtoect rights, but no social engineering, or transfers of wealth. Public Service should not be a lucrative career with magnificent retirements after only a few years.

Our form today is that of a Secular Totalitarianism. Ds and Rs fight over the deck chairs while the Titanic sinks.

Don't read this. I know I'm on your Iggy List with dozens of others.

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[img]http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/3605/11ul2.jpg[/img]

Technocracy.

Transparent meritocracy; everything the citizen needs is provided for them, so what little criminality remains can be most properly treated as a medical problem.

Otherwise, there is no need for the government (or for other citizens) to interfere in how any person pursues his happiness.

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[center][IMG]http://home.bresnan.net/~korimyr/korimyr_sig.jpg[/IMG][/center]

I should think we can talk about anything we like. I say go for it.

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[I]Remember what the dormouse said, 'feed your head'. [/I]

Who rules this meritocracy and how are they chosen for this task? The link didn't seem to provide answers to that question.

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[I]Remember what the dormouse said, 'feed your head'. [/I]

Seems quite interesting.
I've DL'ed the PDF, gonna print it (need paper )
I'm sure gonna get back to you on this.

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It is often said that anarchists live in a world of dreams and do not see the things which happen today. We see them only too well, and in their true colors, and that is what makes us carry the hatchet into the forest of prejudices that besets us.
[I]P.Kropotkin; Anarchism: Its philosophy and ideal.[/I]

Are you suggesting that an unchecked democracy is the ultimate from of government? The will of the people at any given time is the law of the nation? The law will mutate according to the whims of the majority? To what extent can the government interfere in the lives of the citizens? Is this a utopian libertarian democracy you propose? A socialist democracy where the government regulates the people according to the present will of the people? Can the majority limit the franchise to enure their majority? Are there allowances for regional differences and disparity?

On average, I believe a constitutional monarchy would be the best form of government. This does not exclude the concept of meritocracy, except as to the emodiment of the sovereignty. In todays world, with the power of government being what it is, a pure democracy would be one of the worst.

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It does not take great wisdom to recognize that there is good and evil--only to determine which is which.

Theoretically, I would say a benevolent dictatorship. If we assume that the most capable possible person were selected for the job and that said person would act only in the net best interest of society.

To expand, consider problems that would not exist. Democracy is plagued by the stupidity of the average man, among other things. Any elected government will also give rise to politics and political machinations where personal ambition may supercede the duties of the position. The negative aspects of a dictatorship (power corrupting, madness, widespread oppression et. al) would not exist, since we have, in theory put the perfect guy in charge.

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[b][SIZE=2]"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases."[/b][/SIZE]

-Thomas Jefferson

You see, that is the problem with true democracy. There can be NO bosses. Otherwise, it is not "True" democracy

The only true democracy is found in the lives of certain insects such as bees, because the bee is raised to perform a particular function. and apparently has genetic information that guides it's actions. It knows, without being told, what it should do.

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A mugawump is a bird who sits on a fence with his mug on one side and his wump on the other--[COLOR="red"][B]
A fence sitter-upon[/B][/COLOR] IE: a moderate/independent:

[COLOR="Blue"]Any fool can find fault, but it takes a thinking person to find the appropriate solution[/COLOR]