Democracy is only a dream: it should be put in the same category as Arcadia, Santa Claus and Heaven. H L Mencken
A good politician under democracy is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar. H L Mencken
We must be the great arsenal of democracy. Franklin D Roosevelt
The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it comes stronger than their democratic state itself. That in its essence is fascism – ownership of government by an individual, by a group. Franklin D Roosevelt
The thick masses of foliage which we call the myth of democracy. Richard Crossman, Labour politician
Democracy equals New World Order. Democracy equals slavery. A democracy is not synonymous with freedom. It’s the opposite of freedom. Democracy is the worst form of government you can have. It’s a majority rule. The Government can tell you exactly what it wants you to do. I don’t care what the majority wants. Aaron Russo, interview Alex Jones
After each war there is a little less democracy to save. Brooks Atkinson, 1894-1984
It is an interesting observation to note how seemingly unknown personalities magically appear on the scene as presidential candidates. Then, before you know it, somehow you are left to choose from a small group of extremely wealthy people, who suspiciously have the same broad social view. Obviously it’s a joke. The people placed on the ballot are done so because they have been pre-decided to be acceptable by the established financial powers who actually run the show. Yet many who understand this illusion of democracy often think – if only we could just get our honest ethical politicians in power, then we would be OK ... Unfortunately, another fallacy. Zeitgeist addendum, 2008
We can either have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both. Louis Brandeis, Supreme Court Judge
Both Bernays’ and Lippmann’s concept of managing the masses takes the idea of democracy and it turns it into a palliative. It turns it into giving people some kind of feel-good medication that will respond to an immediate pain or an immediate yearning, but will not alter the objective circumstances one iota. The idea of democracy at its heart was about changing the relations of power that governed the world for so long; and Bernays’ concept of democracy was one of maintaining the relations of power. Stuart Ewan, public relations historian
To become informed and hold government accountable, the general public needs to obtain news that is comprehensive yet interesting and understandable, that conveys facts and outcomes, not cosmetic images and airy promises. But that is not what the public demands. Eric Alterman
A change has come over our democracy. It is called consumptionism. The American citizen’s first importance to his country is now no longer that of citizen but that of consumer. Unknown American journalist 1927
The men in Washington should be at the forefront of technology, the forefront of human study, the forefront of crime, all factors that shape human behaviour ... And we have the resources today. To house everyone. Build hospitals all over the world. Build schools all over the world. The finest equipment in labs for teaching and doing medical research. So, you see, we have all that. But we’re in a monetary system. And in a monetary system there is profit. Jacque Fresco, founder & director Venus Project
War, poverty, corruption, hunger, misery, human suffering will not change in a monetary system. Jacque Fresco
Democracy is not about trust; it is about distrust. It is about accountability, exposure, open debate, critical challenge, and popular input and feedback from the citizenry. It is about responsible government. We have to get our fellow Americans to trust their leaders less and themselves more, trust their own questions and suspicions, and their own desire to know what is going on. Michael Parenti
What’s happening in the United States is a struggle between democracy and empire. Democracy is a wonderful invention by the people of history to protect themselves against the abuses of wealth. Michael Parenti
If the test of patriotism comes only by reflexively falling into lockstep behind the leader whenever the flag is waved, then what we have is a formula for dictatorship – not democracy ... But the American way is to criticize and debate openly, not to accept unthinkingly the doings of government officials of this or any other country. Michael Parenti
Socrates had the gravest reservations about democracy. Because he refused to accept that because the majority supported an opinion that made it right. Alain de Botton, Philosophy: Socrates on Self-Confidence, Channel 4 2000
All the power is in the people to the extent that the government becomes alienated from the people, does things that people don’t want, the power is transferred till you finally come to a police state ... where the desires of the people really have no consequence. They go out and they vote, doesn’t make any difference which candidate they elect. Edwin Vieira, cited America: Freedom to Fascism
Forum: Mister Curtis, are there programs that can be used to secretly fix elections?
Clinton Curtis: Yes.
Forum: How do you know that to be the case?
Clinton Curtis: Because in October of 2000 I wrote a prototype for Congressman Tom Feeney ... that did just that.
Forum: When you say ‘did just that’, it would rig an election?
Clinton Curtis: It would flip the vote 51/49 or whatever you wanted it to go to and whatever race you wanted to win.
Forum: And would that program that you designed be something that election officials ... could detect?
Clinton Curtis: They’d never see it.
Forum: So how would such a program – a secret program that fixes the election – how could it be detected?
Clinton Curtis: You would have to view it either as a source code or you would have to have a receipt and then count the hard paper against the actual votes ... other than that you wouldn’t see it.
Forum: Given the availability of such vote-rigging software, and the testimony that has been given under oath of substantial statistical anomalies – gross difference between exit polling data and the actual tabulated results – do you have an opinion whether or not the Ohio presidential election was rigged?
Clinton Curtis: Yes, I would say it was. Clinton Eugene Curtis, computer programmer, 2004 evidence
The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them in parliament. Vladimir Lenin
Bourgeois democracy, although it is a historical advance in comparison with medievalism, always remains, and under capitalism is bound to remain, restricted, truncated, false and hypocritical. A paradise for the rich and a snare and a deception for the exploited, for the poor.
The whole point is that a bourgeois state which is exercising the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie through a democratic republic cannot confess to the people that it is serving the bourgeoisie. It cannot tell the truth and has to play the hypocrite. Vladimir Lenin
No, democracy is not identical with majority rule. Democracy is a State which recognises the subjection of the minority to the majority, that is an organization for the systematic use of force by one class against the other, by one port of the population against another. Vladimir Lenin, State and Revolution 1919 pp95-96
The dirty little secret is that both Houses of Congress are irrelevant. America’s domestic policy is now being run by Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve. America’s foreign policy is now being run by the International Monetary Fund. When the President decides to go to war, he no longer needs a declaration of war from Congress. Robert Reich, USA Today 7th January 1999
‘And we entrust our glorious parliamentary democracy’ – he pointed at me – ‘to characters like these. That’s the whole tragedy of this country.’ Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger p10
I gather you yellow-skinned men, despite your triumphs in sewage, drinking water, and Olympic gold medals, still don’t have democracy. Some politician on the radio was saying that that’s why we Indians are going to beat you: we may not have sewage, drinking water, and Olympic gold medals, but we do have democracy.
If I were making a country, I’d get the sewage pipes first, then the democracy, then I’d go about giving pamphlets and statues of Gandhi to other people, but what do I know? I am just a murderer! ibid. pp95-96
Democracy, as I said recently, before our people (as Lincoln said) has a simple definition – the difficulty is making it a reality. We are making it a reality: a government for the people, by the people and for the people. A society where people are included and are equal, where there is no exclusion, there is no poverty, where human values reign. Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, interview John Pilger