21 Jun 2021 12:56 am
Polar1ty » 21 Jun 2021, 12:50 am » wrote: ↑ My counterargument to your first point is that the opinion of "the people" is irrelevant. Even if 90% of people wanted infrastructure projects like desalination plants or reservoirs that feed into the Colorado River basin
Human nature necessitates disagreement over how they think society should be structured. We have fascists, anarchists, libertarians, socialists, liberals, conservatives, primitivists, etc. debating what policies should be implemented. These disagreements have always existed.
Yet there were politicians in the past (just look at Otto v Bismarck back in 1890) who ruled with an iron first and managed to get their agenda passed as long as they were skilled and powerful enough. They didn't need "the people's opinions."
The "people's opinions" don't matter unless people miss 2 weeks of meals and go hungry and can't feed their children or something.
This is getting way off topic but my point throughout this thread is very simple:
Modern liberalism in practice simply amounts to a managed system with all the exterior functions and architecture of a republican system of governance. In practice it serves a small clique of oligarchs whose loyalties do not lie with "the nation," "the people," or anything of that sort. Since these oligarchs are the ones who have the most political sway, it makes sense that they get to decide what happens with the country, and you (an ordinary citizen) have no actual say other than casting a vote for a mouthpiece at the ballot box every [X] years or writing some anti-oligarch posts on LF.net/some online forum.
I don’t pretend like I have any say, I don’t have power enough to make any changes, except in my own limited circle of friends and family and self.
but you don’t have to rub my face in it, sheesh