[tonyedgecombe]

It's like a release valve, no point in going out rioting if you can vote the bastards out in the next election.

[imtringued]

This is also how most professional licensing works. The idea isn't that the license guarantees quality, it's that the license can be revoked when the licensee in question makes an egregious mistake.

Democracy isn't about voting people in. A monarchy or dictatorship can be voted in and stay permanently. The point is to vote people out of power.