How can you say that democracy is good? (7/2018)


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DEMOCRACY USUALLY MEANS that political authority is for the most part indirectly exercised by the majority of the people through a system of representation involving periodically held free elections.

How can you say that your democracy is good for most people when a tiny minority owns and controls most resources (e.g., land, housing, money and financial institutions, industries, energy)?

How can you say that democracy is good when this minority is way richer than 90+ percent of citizens?

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How can you say that democracy is good when, in countries like France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the USA and Canada, millions of other people are left in or near poverty?

How can you say that democracy is good when democracy is responsible for widespread environmental degradations that affect our air and climate, most of our water and food, while endangering thousands of wildlife species?

How can you say that democracy is good when most members of the middle class refuse to think about better political systems because they are afraid of losing a part of their material comfort so that everyone could live well?

So many people will say that you choose between democracy and dictatorship. It’s a lie insulting our intelligence.

What about a system based on numerous middle-sized river basins (say the Loire basin in France divided into 7 or 10 sub-basins) in which people would decide their lifestyle? The ones who want their democracy would have it. Others could decide together to genuinely respect each other and the environment in a sub-basin through wage equity (same wage for equal work hours and quality), the prohibition of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers on farmland, equal healthcare for all, etc. This would not be a democracy. This would be another form of political system.

I do not intend to impose this idea on others. Our creative mind should be used to create something good politically, if the right conditions are met. We are intelligent enough to create both other systems and the right conditions. We just have to start thinking…

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