democracy needs informed citizens if it is to thrive

[justashooter 430]

A black man comparing obama to Hitler.

.................

When Adolf Hitler was building up the Nazi movement in the 1920s, leading up to his taking power in the 1930s, he deliberately sought to activate people who did not normally pay much attention to politics.

Such people were a valuable addition to his political base, since they were particularly susceptible to Hitler's rhetoric and had far less basis for questioning his assumptions or his conclusions.

"Useful idiots" was the term supposedly coined by V.I. Lenin to describe similarly unthinking supporters of his dictatorship in the Soviet Union.

Put differently, a democracy needs informed citizens if it is to thrive, or ultimately even survive.

In our times, American democracy is being dismantled, piece by piece, before our very eyes by the current administration in Washington, and few people seem to be concerned about it.

The president's poll numbers are going down because increasing numbers of people disagree with particular policies of his, but the damage being done to the fundamental structure of this nation goes far beyond particular counterproductive policies.

Just where in the Constitution of the United States does it say that a president has the authority to extract vast sums of money from a private enterprise and distribute it as he sees fit to whomever he deems worthy of compensation? Nowhere.

And yet that is precisely what is happening with a $20 billion fund to be provided by BP to compensate people harmed by their oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Many among the public and in the media may think that the issue is simply whether BP's oil spill has damaged many people, who ought to be compensated.

But our government is supposed to be "a government of laws and not of men."

If our laws and our institutions determine that BP ought to pay $20 billion — or $50 billion or $100 billion — then so be it.

But the Constitution says that private property is not to be confiscated by the government without "due process of law."

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/537967/201006211813/Is-US-Now-On-Slippery-Slope-To-Tyranny-.aspx

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh but that smile.........................and those cute kids..................Im voting for him!

[Peikko 1,575]

This is an example of being 'informed'? What tosh. Edited June 23, 2010 by Madame Cleo

[sly_wolf 199]

A black man comparing obama to Hitler.

.................

When Adolf Hitler was building up the Nazi movement in the 1920s, leading up to his taking power in the 1930s, he deliberately sought to activate people who did not normally pay much attention to politics.

Such people were a valuable addition to his political base, since they were particularly susceptible to Hitler's rhetoric and had far less basis for questioning his assumptions or his conclusions.

"Useful idiots" was the term supposedly coined by V.I. Lenin to describe similarly unthinking supporters of his dictatorship in the Soviet Union.

Put differently, a democracy needs informed citizens if it is to thrive, or ultimately even survive.

In our times, American democracy is being dismantled, piece by piece, before our very eyes by the current administration in Washington, and few people seem to be concerned about it.

The decline of democracy started years ago. The uninformed are only seeing it now.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

The decline of democracy started years ago. The uninformed are only seeing it now.

I can remember a 1996 sermon (at Summer Retreat) where the following statement was made: "democracy can only work if it is undergirded with Biblical foundations"--at which I was quite surprised; when I analysed the statement later, I found it to be true--democratic nations WITHOUT Biblical foundation (India, Sri Lanka, Japan) have all made shambolic messes of the democracy, and the US, Canada and UK (where these foundations are being eroded) are inevitably following.

[sly_wolf 199]

I can remember a 1996 sermon (at Summer Retreat) where the following statement was made: "democracy can only work if it is undergirded with Biblical foundations"--at which I was quite surprised; when I analysed the statement later, I found it to be true--democratic nations WITHOUT Biblical foundation (India, Sri Lanka, Japan) have all made shambolic messes of the democracy, and the US, Canada and UK (where these foundations are being eroded) are inevitably following.

Not sure about the biblical stuff, but I do agree that democracy is failing and yes I would definitly include Canada and the UK in that picture.

Take a look at this article for fun:

http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/cbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=24660310

I believe that most political leaders have lost their moral compass and the Obama bashing serves no purpose. I think that the informed honest people should be bashing the entire political system as a whole. Its a total disaster.

[mawilson 2,133]

This is an example of being 'informed'? What tosh.

:lol: