Zero Powers wrote:
>
> OK, I'll bite. If government needs the "consent" of the governed, just how
> is that consent conveyed unless the governed have a voice? And if the
> governed *do* have a voice, how is that not democracy again?
With a constitution that cannot be altered or overturned by a simple majority, a
court system that can tell the people they are dead flat WRONG, a presidential
electoral system that is not directly determined by popular vote, and a
tripartate structure with checks and balances. Assuming participants actually
obey the laws of the government, it is technically impossible to easily let a
dictator come to power, unless a large majority of the population has gone quite
insane. If the system is subverted from within, and nobody is brave enough to do
anything about it, it becomes a little easier.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon May 28 2001 - 09:50:21 MDT