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Listening to the tv or radio recently, they were talking about democracies and "being able to choose one's leaders". My immediate thought was, "wouldn't that be nice, to be able to choose my leaders"... then i (remembered) that this is a so-called democracy, and that supposedly I/we do choose our leaders. But it's not me choosing my leaders, it's me casting a vote, like buying a lottery ticket, and hoping to win. But losing all the time, and being stuck with leaders that other people chose. The effect isn't all that different from
not having a vote at all, from living in a non-democracy. We've been brought up to believe that we "live in a democracy" and that we "choose our own leaders" and that "everyone has a voice in the government". (Hopefully it is true. It doesn't feel like it lately.) So even when our leaders aren't ones of our choosing, we accept it and are complacent, trusting in the democracy and waiting for the time when we will get lucky and win the vote.
My taxes are being used for things I don't agree with. I'm funding things I don't want to be funding... Taxation without representation? Where's my representation?
It might be a little better at least if it were like in some countries, where the parliament is put together in proportion to the percent of the vote that each party gets. Then at least I might have some representatives that actually represented me.
I could be more active. I could harrass my South Carolina "representatives" and other government officials with letters and phone-calls and emails every day instead of just every so often... I could stand outside of the state capitol with a big sign saying something sign-worthy. But I don't think it would make much difference. And I don't want to waste my time doing such non-fun stuff when it doesn't make much, if any, difference.
not having a vote at all, from living in a non-democracy. We've been brought up to believe that we "live in a democracy" and that we "choose our own leaders" and that "everyone has a voice in the government". (Hopefully it is true. It doesn't feel like it lately.) So even when our leaders aren't ones of our choosing, we accept it and are complacent, trusting in the democracy and waiting for the time when we will get lucky and win the vote.
My taxes are being used for things I don't agree with. I'm funding things I don't want to be funding... Taxation without representation? Where's my representation?
It might be a little better at least if it were like in some countries, where the parliament is put together in proportion to the percent of the vote that each party gets. Then at least I might have some representatives that actually represented me.
I could be more active. I could harrass my South Carolina "representatives" and other government officials with letters and phone-calls and emails every day instead of just every so often... I could stand outside of the state capitol with a big sign saying something sign-worthy. But I don't think it would make much difference. And I don't want to waste my time doing such non-fun stuff when it doesn't make much, if any, difference.