We have never had a true democracy in the United States, nor did the founding fathers wish for us to have one at any time.

The resons for this are as simple as the reasons Plato found for that of Athens failed attempt at true democracy to not be a desireable form of Government. In fact it failed the Athenians on numerous occassions.

Mob rule subsitutes a blind system in the place of any actualy intellegent mindset at the helm of the people with a true democracy. It also promotes demigogues rising to power and possible tyranny as opposed to good knowedgable people. (our most recent election case in point)

One reason why the Romans after having overthrown thier kings addopted instead thier "Republican" form of Government, and if you study history you will see our own government in america more closely resembles the romans than the greeks.


As for the elctoral college, well no one I know likes it, outside of the founding fathers who wanted it as a safe gaurd to keep "we the people" from doing what the ruleing class of america (senetorial ranks who by the way were not elected by popular vote at the time) didnt want.

As for a the Bush Gore election being a sign of Americas fall, one might perchance review the history books a little bit and see that this was not the first or even the second time that someone won the popular vote but did not become the president due to the electoral college and or the senate intervening.

Also the idea that the "President" can overrule and do what ever he pleases is to say the least unrealistic, especially if your talking about Bush again, you will find if you look that he got approval from the senate for things that previous presidents didnt even bother apealing for support. (Jefferson, Wilson, Kennedy and Johnson are the biggest offenders in that camp of walking on other branches of government)

The Roman Empire fell after allmost more than a thousand years of rule in the east and a little over 500 years in the west and there are many oppinions as to how that came about.

Some blame the Christians, others blame the barbarian migrations, and yet others blame complacency induced by over abundance.

The most recent work of cross disiplinary fields is coming up with a far more complex explanation for the fall which alltough includes some of the forementoned it also dismissess some things like christanity (which actually may have sustained it) outright and lays the majority of the blame on conditions outside the romans control at the time as there is strong evidence now that climate change played a majior role in both the invasions and lack of manpower to resist them (cooling period simular to the one that brought dorian invaders to allmost wipe out the Myceaneans).

Tacitus wrote a brilliant example of how absolute power corruptes quickely, in his annuals of imperial rome (inpaticular the section about the year of four emperors) however Rome did go on for several hundred years after he Tacitus was long dead.

All thats required to vote now, is getting up off ones lazy ass to do so, which that in and of itself is a large reduction factor. When most of the people who voted in this past election didnt even know who the running mates were let alone what the canadates actual stood for, I am not so sure I want them voting anyway.

As for blaming one man like "Bush or Carter, or FDR or whoever) for the faults of many, (ie congress and the many buracratic departments of government) all I can say there is that it is all too typical for people that are swept up in religious like feavor over thier chosen party or demagouge to dismiss logic for passion or allow passion to overshadow what reason they may have possed to begin with where as things of this nature are conserned.