The United States: “Flawed Democracy”

Ranking the World’s Democracies [The Daily Reckoning] February 02, 2023 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( The United States: “Flawed Democracy” - “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner”… - Is the United States the world’s greatest democracy?… - Then Brian Maher wonders if democracy is a superior form of government… [Military Experts preparing for a “Pearl Harbor Style Attack” on Guam?]( [Click here for more...]( Putin invades Ukraine… China launches rockets over the straits of Taiwan… And as we speak, military experts are warning the US to “Prepare for a Pearl Harbor Style Attack” on Guam. Is the beginning of World War III? [Click Here To Find Out]( Annapolis, Maryland February 2, 2023 [Brian Maher] BRIAN MAHER Dear Reader, We see the 2022 edition of The Economist’s Intelligence Unit Democracy Index is out. This tabulation ranks the world’s nations across several categories. These categories include but are not limited to: Civil liberties… the functioning of government… political participation... electoral process… pluralism… and political culture. The higher the categorical score, the higher the democratic ranking. And so we ask: Where does the United States rank among the nations of the Earth? Is it the most democratic? Perhaps the fifth? The eighth? Or heaven forfend… the 27th? Answer shortly. We concede it at the outset: We hold democracy in lesser esteem than most. As old Ben Franklin never said: “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.” We are for the lamb and against the wolves. But let it go for now. We nonetheless find the spectacle of democracy vastly fascinating and amusing, a spectacle without equal, a circus in 100 rings or more. The “people” give the orders in democracy, say the civics books. But did anyone ask the people — for example — if invading Iraq in 2003 was a swell idea? Or if their tax dollars should rescue Wall Street in 2008? Or if their government should dispatch main battle tanks to Ukraine — or $100 billion of their tax monies? We do not recall the orders going out. Somehow it all seems beyond democratic agency, beyond all control. It is simply the way the political machinery operates, a fellow concludes. He may cluck-cluck his opposition to it. He often does. Yet he is largely a man resigned… and he simply throws up the sponge in frustration. If “the people own the government” — as the democratic gospel singers tell us — we suggest you put the theory to this test: Approach the guardhouse at the nearest military installation. Demand immediate, unqualified and unrestricted access to the post, asserting your rights of property. The ownership theory hinges upon the reaction you receive. But to return to our question: Where is the United States’ democratic ranking among the nations of Earth? The answer, says The Economist’s Intelligence Unit Democracy Index, is… Thirtieth. The United States is the 30th most democratic nation of Earth. It finds itself wedged between hellcat Israel and the Jeffersonian heaven of Slovenia. Thus America is sorted into the category of “flawed democracies,” coming beneath the “full democracies” of the world. Listed here are the world’s top 10 “full democracies,” seriatim: Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Ireland, Netherlands — and Taiwan. May we please pick a nit with The Economist’s esteemed ladies and gentlemen? They rank New Zealand second-most democratic among the world’s nations. Yet the very same New Zealand imposed nearly totalitarian lockdowns during the pandemic — lockdowns not dissimilar from China’s. “The people” did not vote for them. But to proceed… You may not be surprised to learn that demon Russia ranks very low in the democratic categories. Russia is the world’s 146th most democratic nation of the 167 ranked, a scourge. About which: Russia recorded the biggest decline in score of any country in the world in 2022. Its invasion of Ukraine was accompanied by all-out repression and censorship at home. Russia has been on a trajectory away from democracy for a long time and is now acquiring many of the features of a dictatorship. Just so. Meantime, poor little innocent and corrupt Ukraine, Russia’s invadee, is ranked the 87th most democratic nation of Earth. We are nonetheless informed that Ukraine “shows the power of democratic ideas and principles to bind together a nation and its people in the pursuit of democracy.” Afghanistan, incidentally — despite nearly two decades of American democracy-constructing — ranks 167 of 167 — the least democratic of all. In all, merely 8% of Earth’s inhabitants parade around in “full democracies.” Please spare a tender thought for the world’s remaining 92%. They are denied the unvarnished glories, benefits, advantages, swindles, vanities and preposterousnesses that full democracy offers. United States citizens are not among the top 8%, alas. They are instead the semi-fortunate residents of a lesser category — a “flawed democracy.” We find this rather disconcerting. We would expect a higher democratic ranking. We have always taken solace in the belief that our existence takes place beneath the unrivaled democratic folds of the stars and stripes. Yes, we concede that “democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention” — as James Madison observes in Federalist No. 10. We further grant Mr. Madison his argument that democracies: “Have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.” But this you cannot deny: What a show while it lasts… We have previously compared and contrasted democracy with the outdated system of monarchy. Today we republish our musings and reflections on both forms of government. Is democracy superior to monarchy? Read on… Regards, [Brian Maher] Brian Maher Managing Editor, The Daily Reckoning [feedback@dailyreckoning.com.](mailto:feedback@dailyreckoning.com) Editor’s note: It’s finally happening: • Credit Suisse is imploding… • The Russia-Ukraine is escalating… • And the Fed is about the break the economy in half… But according to Jim Rickards’ research, [what comes next could be even bigger.]( And depending on how you respond to this message… It could potentially send you to the poor house… or the penthouse. You decide for yourself if you agree or disagree with this research. But we strongly encourage you to at least look it over before making up your mind. That’s why I strongly urge you to get in position now… Before the next big financial shocker hits. [Go here now before it’s too late.]( [BOMBSHELL: Ex-CIA Advisor Releases New Biden Evidence]( [Click here for more...]( This crazy new Biden story is 1,000 times worse than the media will let on. If you think Biden is a life-long corrupt politician who will do anything for money and power, you’re right. And now, former advisor to CIA and Pentagon Jim Rickards has just uncovered this new Congressional evidence that will send shockwaves through Washington… [Click Here To Learn More]( The Daily Reckoning Presents: Is democracy truly superior to monarchy?… ****************************** Democracy vs. Monarchy By Brian Maher [Brian Maher] BRIAN MAHER Today we trample sacred ground… trumpet a message of heresy… and offend the pieties. For we challenge the cherished and soothing assumptions of democracy. In 2001, academic Hans-Hermann Hoppe scribbled a book bearing the soaring title Democracy: The God That Failed. Hoppe’s work is a dart leveled against that holiest of secular divinities. Hoppe’s primary tort against democracy? It wastes. It exhausts its capital. It forever takes the short view. Hoppe uses the economic concept of time preference to nail his point through. A Jill with low time preference delays her gratification until the future. She is disciplined. She is willing to have her cake later — only after she has tended to her duties. But a Jack with high time preference orients toward present consumption. He wants his cake now — and the future can go scratching. Democracy, in Hoppe’s regard, “wants it now.” It is a spendthrift, a profligate, a child at large in a candy store. As the drunkard cannot see beyond the next drink… democracy cannot see past the next election. The problem, says Hoppe, is that democratic leaders do not own the machinery of government. It is theirs on temporary loan. Thus the democratic politician is a mere placeholder. But is that not our system’s cardinal virtue — that power is not permanently lodged in a single vessel? A rotating roster of rogues is far superior to one alone, you counter. Otherwise, the American Revolution was a vast swindle, and the Fourth of July is a blackguard’s holiday. A Prearranged Raid on the Treasury But because a leader under democracy does not own the government apparatus, argues Hoppe, he has no incentive to maximize its value. Instead, he tends to deplete it. His limited time horizon forces him toward immediate gratification. That is, he must get while the getting is there to be gotten. Consider the aspiring democratic official who seeks the franchise of a demanding public. He may feel the tug of fiscal conscience. But should he fail to gratify the crowd’s clamorings, he knows the other fellow will. And our democratic aspirant will lose his election. So he offers up the requisite sweets. If Social Security benefits must increase to sweep him into office, they will increase. Will it take more Medicare benefits, more unemployment insurance, more welfare? Then these you will see. His election represents a prearranged raid upon the Treasury. If the national purse is thin, if the burden cannot be met from existing stocks, then let it go upon the credit card. Is the business sordid? Might it eventually throw the Republic into bankruptcy? Well, eventually is a long way off, he says. Let it fall into the next fellow’s lap. Besides, we’ll simply grow our way out of it. This is the office-seeker under modern democracy. Compare, for a moment, democratic government with a rented automobile… Who Ever Washed a Rental Car? The renter does not own the auto. He, therefore, has no regard for its long-term health. So he over-accelerates the engine. He pummels the brakes. Down its gullet, he pours the lowest-test gasoline. Would he ever check the oil? And who, may we inquire, has ever run a rental through a wash? Here Hoppe applies the theory to democratic government: It must be regarded as unavoidable that public-government ownership results in continual capital consumption. Instead of maintaining or even enhancing the value of the government estate, as a king would do, a president (the government’s temporary caretaker or trustee) will use up as much of the government resources as quickly as possible, for what he does not consume now, he may never be able to consume… For a president, unlike for a king, moderation offers only disadvantages. Hoppe speaks of a king. Unlike democracy, Hoppe contends, monarchy takes the long view. The monarch owns the apparatus of government. As will his heirs. So he naturally inclines to policies that increase the value of his property over time. If Social Security, Medicare and the rest begin to deplete the government’s stocks, the monarch will announce a halt to them. “It’s welfare you want, subject? I understand the church runs a charity. “Social Security, you seek? I suggest you begin planning early for your retirement. And remember to save against the rainy day. “You say you want health care? I hope you don’t smoke or drink too much. And let me mention it now — sugar is a far-from-healthful substance. Besides, there are private insurers. I can refer you to several if you wish.” [Urgent Notice From Paradigm CIO Zach Scheidt!]( [Click here for more...]( Hi, Zach Scheidt here… I’m the Chief Income Officer at Paradigm Press. With inflation raging (and showing no signs of coming to an end any time soon), almost everyone in America is feeling the pain in a big way. Which is why, several months ago, I set out on a big mission… my goal was to create a complete, step-by-step plan to surviving and beating inflation… one that anyone could take advantage of. Today, after hundreds of hours of research, I’m revealing all of my findings. See how to survive America’s deadly inflation crisis… [Click Here Now]( The People Tell the King to Get Bent Is such a system undemocratic? Certainly. Callous, perhaps? Well, perhaps it is. But is it fiscally stable? Yes. In brief, monarchy may be better with money than democracy. It is a superior steward of wealth — at least by this theory. Once again, Hoppe: While a king is by no means opposed to debt, he is constrained in this “natural” inclination by the fact that as the government’s private owner, he and his heirs are considered personally liable for the payment of all government debts (he can literally go bankrupt, or be forced by creditors to liquidate government assets). Consider, as one example: In 1392, England’s Richard II was in arrears to the Pope in Rome… and required 1,000 pounds toward satisfaction of his debt. He did not have it. So old Rich appeared before the citizens of London with an open hat. Moreover, they refused him. Imagine it! Freeman Tilden, from his neglected 1936 masterwork A World in Debt: Kings had power enough to contract debts, but found it much more difficult to take advantage of that power… The feudal system, with its insecurity and constant clash of petty divisions, was not calculated to invite credit. In distinct contrast, Hoppe argues, we find the democratic president: A presidential government caretaker is not held liable for debts incurred during his tenure of office. Rather, his debts are considered “public,” to be repaid by future (equally nonliable) governments. Perhaps this explains — pandemic aside — why the national debt of the United States runs to some $31 trillion? It is a capital fact beyond all dispute: Most democratic nations groan beneath bloated government… extortionate taxation… and Himalayan levels of debt. Taxes How does this lovely, lovely state compare with the barbarous age of monarchs, Mr. Hoppe? During the entire monarchical age until the second half of the 19th century… the tax burden rarely exceeded 5% of national product. Since then it has increased constantly. In Western Europe it stood at 15–20% of national product after World War I, and in the meantime it has risen to around 50%. Government spending ran to roughly 10% of GDP prior to World War I. It currently nears 50% in many democratic countries. Total government spending in this Land of the Free amounts to 36% of GDP — nearly 40%. Perhaps in retrospect, the world might have been made safe for monarchy in 1917. And maybe our Colonial forefathers should have left old King George alone in 1775. His tax bite was so light… it failed to break the skin. Our researches reveal that American Colonial taxation ran to about 1% of total income — 1%. And between 1764 and 1775, claims political scientist Alvin Rabushka: The nearly 2 million white Colonists in America paid on the order of about 1% of the annual taxes levied on the roughly 8.5 million residents of Britain, or 1/25th, in per capita terms… As traitorous as it may appear, we are half-tempted to disinter King George’s innocent bones and throw them a much overdue parade. But let us entertain no more thoughts of heresy. The Worst System of Government… Except for the Rest Hoppe’s book is actually no call for monarchy. As the author himself states at the onset — “I am not a monarchist and the following is not a defense of monarchy.” His primary purpose is to diagnose an illness — not to prescribe a cure. Hoppe’s sins against democracy are nonetheless of the mortal variety. And mainstream academics put him under excommunication for his blasphemies. But to repeat, Hoppe does not call for monarchy. Nor do we. Beneath our seditious motley beats the heart of an American patriot… and our blood runs true under red, white and blue. Besides, a king could be every inch the scoundrel as an American president. And since he faces no election, how could we possibly count upon him to say amusing and idiotic things? Let us, therefore, not discount the comedic value of democratic government. In addition, monarchy is certainly no guarantee against bankruptcy — as history records well. More than a few ne’er-do-well kings have driven their realms to rack and ruin. Who can dispute it? But it is due more to incompetent kingmanship than kingmanship itself. A rascally Henry VIII can inherit a throne as easily as a wise Solomon. Regardless, it matters little… Hoppe’s monarchic realm will never exist — not in today’s age of mass democracy. But does it soften his case? Winston Churchill famously quipped that democracy was the worst form of government except for the rest. But upon further reflection, perhaps monarchy is the worst form of government… except for the rest… Regards, [Brian Maher] Brian Maher Managing Editor, The Daily Reckoning [feedback@dailyreckoning.com.](mailto:feedback@dailyreckoning.com) Ed. note: It’s finally happening: • Credit Suisse is imploding… • The Russia-Ukraine is escalating… • And the Fed is about the break the economy in half… But according to Jim Rickards’ research, [what comes next could be even bigger.]( And depending on how you respond to this message… It could potentially send you to the poor house… or the penthouse. You decide for yourself if you agree or disagree with this research. But we strongly encourage you to at least look it over before making up your mind. [Go here now for all the details.]( Thank you for reading The Daily Reckoning! We greatly value your questions and comments. Please send all feedback to [feedback@dailyreckoning.com.](mailto:feedback@dailyreckoning.com) [Brian Maher] [Brian Maher]( is the Daily Reckoning's Managing Editor. Before signing on to Agora Financial, he was an independent researcher and writer who covered economics, politics and international affairs. His work has appeared in the Asia Times and other news outlets around the world. He holds a Master's degree in Defense & Strategic Studies. [Paradigm]( ☰ ⊗ [ARCHIVE]( [ABOUT]( [Contact Us]( © 2023 Paradigm Press, LLC. 808 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21202. By submitting your email address, you consent to Paradigm Press, LLC. delivering daily email issues and advertisements. To end your The Daily Reckoning e-mail subscription and associated external offers sent from The Daily Reckoning, feel free to [click here.]( Please note: the mailbox associated with this email address is not monitored, so do not reply to this message. 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