The Flaws of Democracy

The democratic system of government is theoretically sound, but like most things man-made, it has its flaws. There are three particular faults that accompany democracy leading to the emergence of what could be termed Capitalist Democracy in most practicing countries. The great news is that these flaws are not inherent and can be corrected if there is enough willpower on the part of the ruling class, and sufficient knowledge of what these failings are on the part of the general populace.

The first of the flaws of democracy is that people with the most resources have the most say. Once upon a time in the history of the United States (the biggest warrior for democracy) the rich were entitled to more than one vote. Lobbying provides the very same opportunity as powerful groups for example corporate interests can further whatever law favours them by lobbying legislators. The outcome of this is that law that favour the rich and powerful are passed which are most times to the detriment of the greater population, the ordinary citizen.

Another flaw of the practical application of democracy that bastardizes the theory is the necessary Campaigning during elections. A lot of resources are spent on campaigns that are almost usually funded by private interest groups who of course are not doling out their wealth out of the goodness of their hearts. They give to political candidates with the expectation of receiving favours if or when that candidates ascends office. There is obviously something wrong with this. Think about the amount of money politicians spend on their campaigns these days, the numbers run into millions of dollars. So as soon as these politicians get into office the first order of business is serving the interests of those who got them there. This principle of reciprocity or gratitude (however you see it) does not serve the ordinary citizen.

Another non-inherent flaw of the democratic system is that instead of being able to choose candidates (from all walks of life) who possess the ability to lead, one's option is restricted to the only those who can afford to take on election costs or have people (rich capitalists) willing to sponsor them, the rich and the powerful. In some countries the cost of political participation forms are so expensive that it is in itself a big deterrent and exactly what good does this do? The people who get the chance to run for political office are those who were detached from the grassroots to begin with and who are not usually inclined to serve the interest of the poor. If all or most participants of the ruling elite do not understand the plight of the ordinary citizen then all hope is lost in the government system that claims to be for the people.

The difficulty we have with modern day democracy is due to the fact that it was hailed as the best system of governance so early we did not get the chance to address it's flaws. Also, it was pitted against a weak system that was not only suppressive, but failed relatively early. As has been mentioned before the failings of democracy can be improved upon as they are not inherent to the system, but only if there is enough willpower. However the rich and powerful benefit from the status quo, and since they are in charge of running the affairs of the state in most countries, it is no surprise that things are the way they are and will stay so for a while. But all systems are self correcting and soon enough one of two things will compulsorily happen, the democratic system will self-correct, or it will topple over.