On 7/9/05, Gus Salavatore Calabrese wrote: snip Very good documented email. When I was with 5-6 years younger, thePIClist= administrators teached me it's forbidded talking aboutpolitics and relig= ion on this list. However, just a thought, it can befreedom for ALL, as i= t can't be respect for ALL "others". I didn't seeany leader which want to= share own power with others, and never seen acountry where individual ri= ghts are respected for all people. If youhave seen the best possible gove= rnment, please point where, I mustknow... :) So, what for some is democracy, for others is the hell. best regards,Vasile > I ask of you intelligent PICoids out there to not use> the word democra= cy as a substitute word for....> duty> bravery> freedom> individual right= s> self-actualization> respect for others> sharing power> best government= possible> .> .> .> .> > > Choose your words carefully and precisely> or = I will go mad...utterly mad hahhahahahhaaaaaa> > > mad.bear> > > > > DEF= INITIONS DEFINITIONS DEFINITIONS DEFINITIONS DEFINITIONS > DEFINITIONS D= EFINITIONS> DEFINITIONS...... SKIP this section if you wish> de=C2=B7moc= =C2=B7ra=C2=B7cy Audio pronunciation of "democracy" ( P ) > Pronuncia= tion Key (d-mkr-s)> n. pl. de=C2=B7moc=C2=B7ra=C2=B7cies> > 1. Gover= nment by the people, exercised either directly or through > elected repr= esentatives.> 2. A political or social unit that has such a governmen= t.> 3. The common people, considered as the primary source of > poli= tical power.> 4. Majority rule.> 5. The principles of social equa= lity and respect for the > individual within a community.> > > [French d= =C3=A9mocratie, from Late Latin dmocratia, from Greek dmokrati : > dmos,= people; see d- in Indo-European Roots + -krati, -cracy.]> > Main Entry: = de=C2=B7moc=C2=B7ra=C2=B7cy> Pronunciation: di-'m=C3=A4-kr&-sE> Function:= noun> Inflected Form(s): plural -cies> Etymology: Middle French democrat= ie, from Late Latin democratia, from > Greek dEmokratia, from dEmos + -k= ratia -cracy> 1 a : government by the people; especially : rule of the ma= jority b : > a government in which the supreme power is vested in the pe= ople and > exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of = > representation usually involving periodically held free elections> 2 := a political unit that has a democratic government> 3 capitalized : the p= rinciples and policies of the Democratic party > in the U.S.> 4 : the co= mmon people especially when constituting the source of > political autho= rity> 5 : the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or >= privileges> > > WIKIPEDIA> Etymology> > The word democracy originates fr= om the Greek =CE=B4=CE=B7=CE=BC=CE=BF=CE=BA=CF=81=CE=B1=CF=84=C3=AD=CE=B1= > from =CE=B4=CE=B7=CE=BC=CE=BF=CF=82 meaning "the people," plus =CE=BA= =CF=81=CE=B1=CF=84=CE=B5=CE=B9=CE=BD meaning "to > rule," and the suffix= =C3=AD=CE=B1; the term therefore means "rule by the > people."> [edit]>= > Real world meaning and definition> [edit]> > Evolution of 'democracy'>= > Main article: History of democracy> > The term 'democracy'=E2=80=94= or more precisely, the original (ancient Greek) > version of the word=E2= =80=94was coined in ancient Athens in the 5th century > BC. That state i= s generally seen as the earliest example of a system > corresponding to = some of the modern notions of democratic rule. > However, many do not se= e ancient Athens as a democracy since only a > minority had the right to= vote; women, slaves, and foreigners being > excluded from the franchise= . Only an estimated 16% of the total > population had the right to vote.= However, the ancient Athenian vote > applied to making decisions direct= ly, rather than voting for > representatives as is seen with modern demo= cracy.> > Over time, the meaning of 'democracy' has changed, and the mode= rn > definition has largely evolved since the 18th century, alongside th= e > successive introduction of "democratic" systems in many nations.> > = Freedom House argues that there was not a single liberal democracy > wit= h universal suffrage in the world in 1900, but that today 120 > (62.5%) = of the world's 192 nations are such democracies. They count > 25 (19.2%)= nations with restricted democratic practices in 1900 and > 16 (8.3%) to= day. They find 19 (14.6%) constitutional monarchies in > 1900 in which a= constitution delineates the powers of the monarch and > in which some p= ower may have devolved to elected legislatures, and no > such nations to= day. Other nations had and have various forms of non- > democratic rule. = [1]> > Today, there are many refined categorizations of the term > 'demo= cracy', some hypothetical and some realized.> [edit]> > Elections as ritu= als> > Elections are not in themselves a sufficient condition for the > = existence of democracy.> > Elections have often been used by authoritaria= n regimes or > dictatorships to give a false sense of democracy. This ca= n happen in > a variety of different ways:> > * restrictions on who= is allowed to stand for election> * restrictions on the true amount= of power that elected > representatives are allowed to hold, or the pol= icies that they are > permitted to choose while in office> * voting= which is not truly free and fair (e.g., through > intimidation of those= voting for particular candidates)> * falsification of the results> = > Historical examples of this include the USSR under the CPSU before > i= ts collapse in 1991, Iraq under Saddam Hussein, and the Philippines > un= der Ferdinand Marcos.> [edit]> > Liberal democracy> > Main article: = Liberal democracy> > In common usage, democracy is often understood to be= the same as > liberal democracy. While democracy itself is a system of = government > defined and legitimized by elections, liberal democracy can= be > characterized by the incorporation of constitutional liberalism, = > where certain culturally subjective individual rights are protected > = from a simple majority vote, inversely; in illiberal democracies no > su= ch restrictions exist. Qualities of many liberal democracies include:> > = * A constitution that limits the authority of the government and > = protects many civil rights> * Universal suffrage, granting all citiz= ens the right to vote > regardless of race, gender or property ownership= (See also elective > rights)> * Freedom of expression, including s= peech, assembly and protest> * Freedom of the press and access to al= ternative information > sources> * Freedom of association> * E= quality before the law and due process under the rule of law> * The = right to private property and privacy> * Educated citizens informed = of their rights and civic > responsibilities> * A broadly and deepl= y entrenched civil society> * An independent judiciary> * A sys= tem of checks and balances between branches of government> > This definit= ion generally comes with qualifications. The decisions > taken through e= lections are taken not by all of the citizenry, but > rather by those wh= o choose to participate by voting. In addition, not > all citizens are g= enerally permitted to vote. Most democratic nations > extend voting righ= ts to those who are above a certain age, typically > 18. Some nations al= so do not permit other categories of people to > vote (e.g., current or = previously convicted prisoners).> > Liberal democracy is sometimes the de= facto form of government, while > other forms are technically the case;= for example, Canada has a > monarchy, but is in fact ruled by a democra= tically elected Parliament.> > Some summarize the definition of democracy= as being "majority rule > with minority rights."> [edit]> > Direct vers= us representative democracy or 'democracy' versus 'republic'> > The defin= ition of the word 'democracy' from the time of ancient > Greece up to no= w has not been constant. In contemporary usage, the > term 'democracy' r= efers to a government chosen by the people, whether > it is direct or re= presentative.> > There is another definition of democracy, particularly i= n > constitutional theory and in historical usages and especially when = > considering the works of the American "Founding Fathers." According > = to this usage, the word 'democracy' refers solely to direct > democracy,= whilst a representative democracy where representatives of > the people= govern in accordance with a constitution is referred to as > a 'republi= c.' This older terminology retains some popularity in U.S. > conservativ= e and Libertarian debate.> > The original framers of the U.S. Constitutio= n were notably cognizant > of what they perceived as a danger of majorit= y rule in oppressing > freedom of the individual. (See Tyranny of the ma= jority below). For > example, James Madison, in Federalist Paper No. 10 = advocates a > republic over a democracy precisely to protect the individ= ual from > the majority. [2] However, at the same time, the framers care= fully > created democratic institutions and major open society reforms w= ithin > the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They kept what they bel= ieved > were the best elements of democracy, but mitigated by a balance = of > power and a layered federal structure.> > Modern definitions of the= term 'republic,' however, refer to any > state with an elective head of= state serving for a limited term, in > contrast to most contemporary he= reditary monarchies which are > representative democracies and constitut= ional monarchies adhering to > parliamentarism. (Older elective monarchi= es are also not considered > to be republics.)> [edit]> > Socialist demo= cracy> > Anarchism and communism (as in the ultimate stage of social > d= evelopment according to Marxist theory) are political theories that > (i= n theory) employ a form of direct democracy and have no state > independ= ent of the people themselves.> > However, most states governed by a commu= nist party have become > dictatorships and remain thus as long as the pa= rty stays in power. > Socialist theorists such as Tony Cliff have argued= that most > communist states become dictatorships because the countries= in which > communist parties came to power were largely societies in wh= ich the > productive forces of development did not reach a level suffici= ent to > support socialism.> [edit]> > Democratic culture> > For countri= es without a strong tradition of democratic majority rule, > the introdu= ction of free elections alone has rarely been sufficient > to achieve a = transition from dictatorship to democracy; a wider shift > in the politi= cal culture and gradual formation of the institutions of > democratic go= vernment are needed. There are various examples (i.e., > Revolutionary F= rance, modern Uganda and Iran) of countries that were > able to sustain = democracy only in limited form until wider cultural > changes occurred t= o allow true majority rule.> > One of the key aspects of democratic cultu= re is the concept of a > "loyal opposition". This is an especially diffi= cult cultural shift to > achieve in nations where transitions of power h= ave historically taken > place through violence. The term means, in esse= nce, that all sides in > a democracy share a common commitment to its ba= sic values. Political > competitors may disagree, but they must tolerate= one another and > acknowledge the legitimate and important roles that e= ach play. The > ground rules of the society must encourage tolerance and= civility in > public debate. In such a society, the losers accept the j= udgment of > the voters when the election is over, and allow for the pea= ceful > transfer of power. The losers are safe in the knowledge that the= y > will neither lose their lives nor their liberty, and will continue t= o > participate in public life. They are loyal not to the specific > po= licies of the government, but to the fundamental legitimacy of the > sta= te and to the democratic process itself.> [edit]> > Proportional versus m= ajoritarian representation> > Some electoral systems, such as the various= forms of proportional > representation, attempt to ensure that all poli= tical groups > (including minority groups that vote for minor parties), = are > represented "fairly" in the nation's legislative bodies, according= to > the proportion of total votes they cast; rather than the proportio= n > of electorates in which they can achieve a regional majority > (maj= oritarian representation).> > This proportional versus majoritarian dicho= tomy is a not just a > theoretical problem, as both forms of electoral s= ystem are common > around the world, and each creates a very different k= ind of > government. One of the main points of contention is having some= one > who directly represents your little region in your country, versus= > having everyone's vote count the same, regardless of where in the > = country you happen to live. Some countries such as Germany and New > Zea= land attempt to have both regional representation, and > proportional re= presentation, in such a way that one doesn't encroach > on the other. Th= is system is commonly called Mixed Member Proportional.> [edit]> > Advant= ages and disadvantages of democracy> [edit]> > Plutocracy?> > The cost of= political campaigning in representative democracies may > mean that the= system favours the already rich, or else may encourage > candidates to = make deals with the wealthy for legislation favorable > to those support= ers once the candidate is elected. On the other hand, > the very wealthy= are only a very small minority of the voters.> > Public media in a democ= racy has to be non-partisan. Partisan voices > that are heard widely - t= hrough broadcasts or publication - are often > owned by private companie= s. Some critics argue that serious arguments > against capitalism tend t= o be suppressed by such companies, to > protect their own self-interests= . Proponents respond that > constitutionally protected Freedom of speech= makes it possible for > both for-profit and non-profit organizations to= start media arguing > against capitalism. They argue that the little su= ccess of such media > reflects public preferences and not censorship.> >= Actual data shows a very large increase in government spending as > per= centage of GDP during the last century in democratic Western > nations [= 3].> [edit]> > Short term focus> > The relatively short time period befor= e a government stands for re- > election may encourage a preference for p= roposing policies that will > bring only short term benefits to the elec= torate, rather than > implementing legislation that may be onerous in th= e short term, but > would be beneficial in decades or centuries to come.= > [edit]> > Tyranny of the Majority> > This issue is also discussed in th= e article on Majoritarianism.> > Whether or not there is a very broad and= inclusive franchise, > majority rule may lead to a fear of so-called "t= yranny of the > majority." This refers to the possibility that a democra= tic system > can empower elected representatives acting on behalf of the= majority > view to take action that oppresses a particular minority. Th= is > clearly has the potential to undermine the aspiration of democracy = as > empowerment of the citizenry as a whole. For example, it is possibl= e > in a democracy to elect a representative body that will decide that = a > certain minority (religion, political belief, etc.) should be > cri= minalized (either directly or indirectly).> > Here are some examples of c= laimed instances in which a majority has > acted controversially against= the wishes of a minority in relation to > specific issues:> > * In= France, some consider current bans on personal religious > symbols in p= ublic schools to be a violation of religious peoples' > rights.> * = In the United States:> o distribution of pornography is declar= ed illegal if the > material violates "community standards" of decency.>= o "pro-life" (anti-abortion) activists have characterized > = unborn children as an oppressed, helpless and disenfranchised minority.> = o the draft early in the Vietnam War was criticized as > oppr= ession of a disenfranchised minority, 18 to 21 year olds. In > response = to this, the draft age was raised to 19 and the voting age > was lowered= nationwide (along with the drinking age in many states). > While no lon= ger disenfranchised, those subject to the draft remained > significantly= outnumbered.> * The majority often taxes the minority who are wealt= hy at > progressively higher rates, with the intention that the wealthy = will > incur a larger tax burden for social purposes.> * Recreation= al drug users are seen by some as a sizable minority > oppressed by the = tyranny of the majority in many countries, through > criminalization of = drug use. In many countries, those convicted of > drug use also lose the= right to vote.> * Society's treatment of homosexuals is also cited = in this > context. One example is the criminalization of gay sex in Brit= ain > during the 19th and much of the 20th century, made famous by the = > prosecutions of Oscar Wilde and Alan Turing.> * Athenian democracy= executed Socrates for impiety, i.e., for > dissent. Whether this is per= tinent to the dangers of modern > democracies is itself a continuing mat= ter of contention.> * Adolf Hitler, who gained the largest minority = vote in the > democratic Weimar republic in 1933. Some might consider th= is an > example of "tyranny of a minority" since Hitler never gained a = > majority vote. On the other hand, democratic systems endemically, and = > perhaps necessarily, end up putting power into the hands of a person >= or faction that commands the largest minority, so the rise of Hitler > = can not a priori be considered irrelevant to the merits of democracy. > = However, the large scale human rights violations took place after the > = democratic system had been abolished. Also, the Weimar constitution > in= an "emergency" allowed dictatorial powers and suspension of the > essen= tials of the constitution itself without any vote or election, > somethi= ng not possible in most liberal democracies.> > Proponents of democracy m= ake a number of defenses to this. One is to > argue that the presence of= a constitution in many democratic > countries acts as a safeguard again= st the tyranny of the majority. > Generally, changes in these constituti= ons require the agreement of a > supermajority of the elected representa= tives, or require a judge and > jury to agree that evidentiary and proce= dural standards have been > fulfilled by the state, or two different vot= es by the representatives > separated by an election, or, very rarely, a= referendum. These > requirements are often combined. The separation of = powers into > legislative branch, executive branch, judicial branch also= makes it > more difficult for a small majority to impose their will. Th= is means > a majority can still legitimately coerce a minority (which is= still > ethically questionable), but such a minority would be very smal= l and, > as a practical matter, it is harder to get a larger proportion = of the > people to agree to such actions.> > Another argument is that ma= jorities and minorities can take a > markedly different shape on differe= nt issues. People often agree with > the majority view on some issues an= d agree with a minority view on > other issues. One's view may also chan= ge. Thus, the members of a > majority may limit oppression of a minority= since they may well in > the future themselves be in a minority.> > A t= hird common argument is that, despite the risks, majority rule is > pref= erable to other systems, and the "tyranny of the majority" is in > any c= ase an improvement on a "tyranny of a minority." Proponents of > democra= cy argue that empirical statistical evidence strongly shows > that more = democracy leads to less internal violence and democide. > This is someti= mes formulated as Rummel's Law, which states that the > less democratic = freedom a people have, the more likely their rulers > are to murder them= .> [edit]> > Political stability> > One argument for democracy is that by= creating a system where the > public can remove administrations, withou= t changing the legal basis > for government, democracy aims at reducing = political uncertainty and > instability, and assuring citizens that howe= ver much they may > disagree with present policies, they will be given a= regular chance > to change those who are in power, or change policies w= ith which they > disagree. This is preferable to a system where politica= l change takes > place through violence.> [edit]> > Poverty> > More demo= cracy correlates with a higher GDP per capita, a higher > score on the h= uman development index and a lower score on the human > poverty index.> = > However, there is disagreement regarding how much credit the > democra= tic system can take for this. It has been argued that most > evidence su= pport the theory that more capitalism, measured for > example with the I= ndex of Economic Freedom, increases economic growth > and that this in t= urn increases general prosperity, reduces poverty, > and causes democrat= ization.> > A prominent economist, Amartya Sen, has noted that no functio= ning > democracy has ever suffered a large scale famine. This includes = > democracies that have not been very prosperous historically, like > In= dia, which had its last great famine in 1943 and many other large > scal= e famines before that in the late nineteenth century, all under > Britis= h rule. However, some others ascribe the Bengal famine of 1943 > to the = effects of World War II. (It should be added that the > government of In= dia had been becoming progressively more democratic > for years; and tha= t provincial government had been entirely so since > the Government of I= ndia Act of 1935.)> [edit]> > Wars> > The democratic peace theory claims = that empirical evidence shows that > democracies never or almost never m= ake war against each other. One > example is a study of all wars from 18= 16 to 1991 where war was > defined as any military action with more than= 1000 killed in battle > and democracy was defined as voting rights for = at least 2/3 of all > adult males. The study found 198 wars between non-= democracies, 155 > wars between democracies and non-democracies, and 0 w= ars between > democracies. [4] However, this theory remains controversia= l in some > circles and is the subject of much academic research and deb= ate.> > Democracies are sometimes slow to react when in war situations, = > because of the bureaucratic and legislative requirements for making > = decisions. In a democracy, the legislature usually must pass a > declara= tion of war before hostilities can be commenced or joined, > although so= metimes the executive has some power to take the > initiative while keep= ing the legislature informed. Further, if > conscription is instituted, = people can protest it. Monarchies and > dictatorships can in theory act = immediately, but often do not; and > historic monarchies generally also = issued declarations of war. In > spite of these things, or perhaps becau= se of them, democracies > historically have been generally able to maint= ain their security.> [edit]> > See also> > * List of politics-relate= d topics> > * Corporatocracy> * Demarchy> * Democracy, an = 1880 novel by Henry Adams.> * Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocque= ville's famous political > and cultural analysis of American democracy.>= * Democratic globalization> * Democratization> * Disappro= val voting> * E-democracy/Internet democracy> * Freedom House =E2= =80=94 scores all nations on civil liberties and > political rights> = * The Kyklos> * Liberalism> * Meritocracy> * Plutocracy>= * Sortition> * Students for global democracy> * Theocracy= > * Totalitarian democracy> > [edit]> > > > > -- > http://www.piclis= t.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive> View/change your membership options at> = http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman//listinfo/piclist> --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist