* a brief comment:
According to Wikipedia, "democracy" is defined as follows:
"Democracy is a system in which sovereignty resides with the people, and they participate in political decision-making. Specifically, it refers to a system of governance in which decisions are made either directly by the people or through representatives elected by them."
Even if popular sovereignty is guaranteed by the constitution, it is not realistically possible for the entire population to vote directly on every issue -- unless, for example, there were a nationwide personal identification system and electronic voting were available even from hospital beds.
As a result, it inevitably becomes a system in which representatives (such as members of parliament) are elected, and important matters are decided by majority vote among them.
However, some of those decisions made by majority vote may amount to the people tightening a noose around their own necks.
One particularly difficult issue involves matters that do not affect the entire population, but are critically important to a specific segment of it. No individual citizen always belongs to the majority; everyone, in some issue or another, inevitably finds themselves in the minority.
If people fail to recognize this reality, unfortunate decisions may be made -- and time may pass before anyone even notices.
For example, retired individuals, having more free time, tend to pay attention to issues that affect them, such as pension policy, and are ready to raise their voices when necessary.
In contrast, working-age people are often too busy with their daily lives to pay attention to matters that don't directly concern them. As a result, policies that will significantly affect them in the future may be decided without their awareness. Then comes the moment of surprise: "When was this decided?!"
Once people become aware of such dynamics, they will better understand the meaning of today's "Russell's Quote of the Day":
“The most successful democratic politicians are those who succeed in abolishing democracy and becoming dictators.”
Hitler is frequently cited as a prime example of this type of dictator. However, Trump -- who has been dubbed "Twittler" for his adept use of X (formerly Twitter) -- may one day find himself awarded the title of "dictator" as well. (Just kidding!)
* Amazon Gift Card
