(07-27-2023, 01:46 AM)AaronM Wrote: Also, we no longer live in a democracy, as America is clearly a plutocracy.
The United States has never been a democracy, and sadly I agree with your plutocracy assessment. Our founding fathers feared democracy, instead opting for a system of inalienable rights with checks and balances between the 3 branches of government. The most accurate description I can think of is that we're (supposed to be) a federal republic with a representative government. The original idea was that we would use a democratic process* to elect people smarter and better educated than ourselves to make decisions for us. That sounds pretty elitist, but the elites at the time envisioned an elected official being an unpaid job to be suffered through like jury duty, doing such a job out of a sense of service to the greater good. George Washington didn't want to be president, and suffered through it:
"Washington was a wealthy man before he became president. He owned a large plantation in Mount Vernon, Virginia, and he had a number of investments. However, the presidency was a very expensive position. Washington had to pay for his own travel, food, and lodging...
In addition, Washington's presidency came at a time when the United States was in debt. The government had borrowed heavily to fight the Revolutionary War, and it was struggling to pay its debts. Washington was asked to help the government by accepting a salary of $25,000 per year. This was a very large sum of money at the time, but it was not enough to cover Washington's expenses.
As a result of these financial difficulties, Washington was forced to sell some of his land and investments. He also had to borrow money from his friends and family. By the time he left office in 1797, Washington was $100,000 in debt.
Washington's financial problems continued after he left office. He died in 1799, and his estate was worth less than $500,000. This was a relatively small sum of money for a man of Washington's stature." (AI alert: Bard)
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch." - Benjamin Franklin
* The original democratic process only allowed property owners to vote.