[credit_guy]

"Democracy" is just our short word for "checks and balances and the rule of law", which is quite a mouthful.

> and the democracy becomes "democracy", that is, little more than a show.

Autocrats all over the world rejoice when they hear this type of arguments. If nothing is perfect, then every system is as good as theirs.

I'm sure that's not what you are trying to say, but unfortunately, that's the logical conclusion of what you are saying.

[hulitu]

> checks and balances and the rule of law

Except the checks are not working, balances favour the milion dollars lobbyists and the rule of law is applied depending on the person it is applied to.

I vote with a candidate and then "Google"[1] comes and gives him money, vacation and some good, expensive meals. How "democratic" is this ?

[1] "Google" can be any company which lobbies the EU.

[maldonad0]

Ha! I meant it. Every system has its pros and cons. I find quite a lot of modern democracies to be extraordinarily dishonest and shortsighted, pretending to be ruled by the people while the same oligarchy has in fact been ruling since time immemorial, and I hate it when I am lied to my face.

As another commenter said, democracies pride themselves in being transparent and true to themselves, things that are needed to be able to choose your collective destiny wisely, which is in turn the core a working democracy.

At least the Sultan of Oman is honest about him ruling and not me! We pretend to live in democracies while we live in oligarchies, because if we admited democracy has been corrupted, the house of cards would fall, since we have been building our worldview and values on the position that they are more just than others because it's the will of the people.

Finally, I'll add that liberalism is not unique to democracy, but able to fit into other governing systems.

I think there are better systems than democracy, one of them being mixed systems. Monarchism at the head of the country, democracy at the city level, and a parliament composed half and half of democratically elected local municipality representants and experts.

[credit_guy]

> I think there are better systems than democracy, one of them being mixed systems.

It looks to me you have some idyllic notion of democracy. If you use my definition (which is generally accepted) of "checks and balances and the rule of law", then a "mixed system" as you suggested definitely qualifies. But you have to realize that in all systems there will be people who lie. If you "hate when you are lied to your face", then I have some terrible news for you: you will not find any system where people don't lie to your face.

Except, possibly, in the Sultanate of Oman.