Democratic capitalism (capitalism + democracy) alongside a strong and efficient social welfare system is what I personally adhere to.
Democratic capitalism (capitalism + democracy) alongside a strong and efficient social welfare system is what I personally adhere to.
Did it ever occur to you that tests introduced with an aim to discriminate may give different results to polls introduced by impartial, apolitical body with the intention to ensure people actually know what they are voting for?
You can intend for the governing body that decides the tests to be impartial and apolitical all you want, but what you’re doing is creating a power structure that controls who has access to the ballot. Regardless how well meaning your intentions are, that system will always invite abuse. It’s always going to be easier for fascists and authoritarians to corrupt your well-meaning system to deny access to the ballot to their opposition rather than trying to win on merit. That’s how electoral systems ALWAYS fail. It’s not always a test, but the authoritarians find a way to manipulate the voting system. By creating a test you’re just making the system MUCH easier to corrupt.
Complete and utter tosh, although since you are from the USA I can understand why you are seeing the state in such ridiculous way.
There is a number of countries which are real democracies with proper separation of powers and impartial civil service, ie one which is not replaced by a president of the day and not stuffed with his cronies. And belive or not, these people (or “unelected bureaucrats” how idiots like to call them) toghther with intelligentsia are perfectly capable of putting such process in place.
Voting should be restricted to people who know what they are voting for. As as example, a racist gammon who doesn’t have a clue what benefits EU brings to the UK should have no say in a decision if the UK is a member of the EU.
The same with any other elections - simple fact checking questions would get rid of the ignorant bunch who prefer to belive lies. Thus the name “meritocracy” - system in which university professors (example of course, it is about understanding what is being decided, not about titles) and halfwits don’t have the same say in how a country is ruled.
So you just want an oligarchy?
All you’re doing is finding a bunch of different ways of saying the people who already have socioeconomic power should be the ones who have all the political power. People with the financial means and time to educate themselves on esoteric areas of policy to a sufficient level as to mollify the people put in charge of the tests to access the ballot are the only ones who should be allowed to vote?
No, that’s some anti-democratic bullshit.
Can you read?
Yes. You want a system whereby the people with access to the resources needed to educate themselves are the only ones allowed to vote. What’s more, you want to give the power to control access to the ballot to an unelected group of people who get to determine what education is sufficient enough to give you the right to vote.
You’re just handing the power to pick who is allowed to vote over to the people already in power. Of course they’re going to abuse that power to ensure they always win. That’s ALWAYS what happens in every single government that’s ever existed. People with power want to remain in power and will manipulate the system to ensure that.
Your poll test system is just a shortcut to oligarchy.
Are you sure?
No.
Also no, although closer. Read again. Slowly. I know you are a USian so I am trying to be as clear as possible: it is called “civil service”. Works in democratic civilised countries, so obviously not in the USA which is neither.
You seem to have an incredibly large amount of trust in your government. For your benefit, I’ll assume this is rooted in naivety. Your government does not work for your benefit. A government is made of individuals who are people, just like everyone else. They’re responsive to incentives, just like everyone else. And when someone has power and authority, their incentive is to maintain this power at all costs. This has been true in all countries and all governments throughout history. Yours is no different.
Create the power to control who is allowed to vote and give it to the people in charge of the government and they WILL use it to maintain their power.
You can go on and on about how noble your civil service is, but it’s all bullshit. It’s staffed by normal people, just like every institution is. They react the same as people always have.
You still didn’t read slowly, did you? 🤣 Try again. And again. And again.
Edit: or maybe it is just the place you are from, all USians I interact with are weird, delicately saying.
Yes.
It also occurs to me that such a party will not and cannot exist.
What party?
That party.