Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: [Phys-l] How did Bill Gates get to decide what's good for our children?



-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-
bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of Bernard Cleyet
Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2011 5:18 PM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] How did Bill Gates get to decide what's good for
our children?

Snip---

But of course to
call the United States a functioning democracy involves creative
writing.

uffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l


[LaMontagne, Bob]
The problem is it acts way TOO MUCH as a democracy. It was designed to be a representative republic - not a pure democracy. Hence we have mob rule. If people want something then politicians better damned well give it to them immediately or else they will be voted out of office. Doing what is best for people in the long run is often counter to a politician's short term interests.

In a pure democracy, education has very little to do the act of voting. People vote in terms of their desires, not their brains. Think back to the interviews on the streets after President Obama was elected. How many dilusional people thought Obama was going to give them free things and make their car payments for them?

In a representative republic the ideal is to have the representatives themselves be highly educated so they can ignore the popular sentiments of the electorate and run the country like a business.

Bob at PC