[dragonwriter]

> Democracies elect idiots "who wreck it all" all the time. That is not the problem with monarchies.

It actually is a recurring problem with monarchies (and often that's how democratic republics get established); heredity is no guarantee of competency.

[genericid]

Nothing is a guarantee of competency. It's not a problem with monarchies, it's a problem with anything involving humans.

[baybal2]

True, and democracy here is a big red "emergency brake" button. In a monarchy or de-facto monarchy (all states that saw multiple presidents-for-life from the same family are in that bunch as well) you have none. Only alternatives given to people in them is to start a civil war.

[null000]

There's always assassination. Look a the Roman Empire - most of the truly catastrophic emperors were either assassinated, or nearly assassinated before they died of other means.

Not that I'm advocating we go back to that or anything.