The rest of us will argue about how to preserve liberty.

NotCoach on November 10, 2012 at 7:23 PM

While failing at actually preserving it, I note with bitter irony.

William Eaton on November 10, 2012 at 8:29 PM

I agree, but the problem is that the entire world right now is in a race towards the bottom. We just happen to be losing the race right now.

Restricted educational and lifetime work opportunity access based on one test score.

Regional discrimination by the Hukou system

Government control of workers through nominally private businesses

The dependence on being in the right family for your continued freedom and prosperity, instead of merit

There are other things, but those four stand out as evidence of a caste system and not a merit system.

This reminds me that despite how much it may suck right now in America, the rest of the world is doing worse for the most part. China is in for a fall at some point and we will see how those stiff CCP technocrats deal with it.

Our system of government produces consistent mediocrity, some presidents have been good (Reagan) and others not so good (Obama), but never forget we have never had a Mao, a Stalin, a Hitler, or the host of other psychopaths and jokers that have appeared in a corrupt single party state like China has.

You highlight the inferiority of man, not the superiority of one type of government over another. The Founders did not build a pure democracy for reason.

I used to say what you’re saying about “pure democracy” and the founding fathers but quite honestly I think that view is completely wrong. The problem with Representative Republics are way too easy to hijack. Representative Republics = hidden tyranny.

I’d rather have a “pure democracy” with limited suffrage.

Now, raise your hands if you think Mr. Weiwei is kind of a dick.

…

Thought so.

You can’t preserve liberty in a democracy because a democracy will fill the wants and needs of The People which are often authoritarian. Is there really any one “free” democracy out there?

ninjapirate on November 10, 2012 at 7:28 PM

You highlight the inferiority of man, not the superiority of one type of government over another. The Founders did not build a pure democracy for reason. Yes, we’ve gone off the rails, but only we can correct it. In the real world (the real world is not a midevil fantasy novel) human nature applies. And where there is human nature there is only tyranny under any king.

Ultimately in our system we get the government we deserve. No king will fix that. We fix it ourselves, or we slide into one form of tyranny or another. Perhaps even a monarchy under King Obama.

OK. You can spend your time kneeling before your king of choice. The rest of us will argue about how to preserve liberty.

The conflation of democracy with liberty is the beginning of all western self-delusion.

You can’t preserve liberty in a democracy because a democracy will fill the wants and needs of The People which are often authoritarian. Is there really any one “free” democracy out there?

ninjapirate on November 10, 2012 at 7:20 PM

OK. You can spend your time kneeling before your king of choice. The rest of us will argue about how to preserve liberty.

These carefully designed changes have eliminated any possibility of permanent entrenchment of power in the hands of any individual leader (which was a major cause of the Arab Spring).

Yes. Because everyone who rises to power in China comes from differing political backgrounds and ideologies.

And by that I mean they’re all Communists. So at the heart of it, the power belongs to the Communists. And the most meritorious Communists get to lead the Communist country.

Doesn’t sound like Cronyism at all.