### basic right:

Democracy
* All democracies adhere to basic tax freedom rights
  - are systems in which citizens freely make political decisions by majority rule
  - strive to respect and protect the human rights of citizens
* Conversation Quorum public forum for democratic and deliberative discussion.
* Democracies Differ All democracies have much in common, as do all people.
* Democracies also grant full rights to minorities, women, and workers
  - have the means to fight wars
* Democracies are always messy when they are working
  - as prone to censorship as any other political form
  - better able to reconcile their internal differences without violence
  - much less prone to violent conflicts
  - breed legitimacy
  - change, historically speaking, at a very fast pace
  - define themselves in terms of a commitment to liberty and fundamental rights
  - do require greater investments in the common people than authoritarian societies
  - expand participation to promote liberty
  - make peaceful neighbors and reliable trade partners
  - oppose terrorism
  - possess mostly an evolutionary language, but essentially, they rest on revolutions
  - produce long-term economic growth, as well as social and political stability
* Democracies respect individual liberties and human rights
  - the rights of their own citizens, and also of others
  - rise and fall for a variety of reasons
  - seek security among themselves in cooperation rather than through deterrence
  - usually have laws against spying on citizens
  - vote about a government's policies once every two or four years
  - work through coalitions, achieved through compromises that are both moral and political
* Every democracy accepts the idea that constitutions and laws can be changed in a democratic process.
* Most democracies have a market economy
  - many parties
  - parliamentary sessions where they have several parties
  - shun capital punishment
* Some democracies have regional, provincial or state elections too
  - use PR within parliamentary systems
* accepts that people in political office are exposed to temptations.
* acknowledges the right to differ as well as settle differences peacefully.
* allows all members of society to compete for the ruling position
  - for diversity and it demands tolerance
  - that each be able to vote
  - the individual to contribute to society through debate, speech, writing, etc
  - voters the right to vote for their choice
* already flourishes in countries with very different cultures and historical experiences.
* also binds brothers to each other, but by very different means
  - insists that the law be equally, fairly and consistently enforced
  - promises that everyone is entitled to an equal voice in government
  - represents the ideal of justice
  - runs less risk of tyranny, because it disperses power
* are voices from the people that express different viewpoints and philosophies.
* assumes that all men and women are created equal, under the law.
* basic right
  - thing for success in many ways
* becomes less likely when it relationship amongst unequals.
* begins in the communities and villages.
* begins with free and fair elections
  - respect for the individual and tolerance of individual differences
* can only develop in a climate of political tolerance.
* can only function if the institutions desired and recognised by the people are respected
  - properly if many citizens participate in the political process
  - work only when the public is informed
* celebrates the dignity of every human life through community, freedom, and responsibility.
* combines elements of understanding, cooperation and compromise.
* comes in many forms.
* consensual hallucination of people concerned with how to divide opportunity fairly.
* cooperative society rather than a competitive one.
* creates an enduring political climate of stability
  - space to do a lot of things, sometimes bad things, dangerous things
* culture of intercourse between people and social groups.
* degenerates in dictatorship.
* demands a system of checks and balances
  - inclusion and equal opportunity
  - open government at all levels
* demands that equality play a much wider role in politics
  - voters have substantive choices
* depends entirely on the information that can be transmitted by a free press
  - fundamentally on the existence of free business enterprise
  - less on respect for persons than on an equal distribution of contempt
* depends on an active citizenry
  - effective connection between the people and government
* depends on citizens having reliable, accurate facts put in a meaningful context
  - the skills for making sound choices
  - enough people being willing to do the right thing
  - government being close to the people
  - many informed citizens
  - participants who can communicate effectively with others
  - the establishment and survival of the institutions of civil society
* depends on the informed and active participation of citizens
  - participation and involvement of all citizens
  - voter belief that government is representative of the people
* depends upon a literate populace
  - strong parliament
  - the respect of each individual for all others
* describes customs that are instruments for growth, both socially and personally.
* dictatorship of law.
* dies without the autonomy and dignity of citizens.
* does no guarantee equality of conditions - it only guarantees equality of opportunity.
* drowns the individual in the choices of the majority.
* dying giant, a sick, sick decaying political concept.
* eliminates tyrannies and contributes to the establishment of new democracies.
* emphasizes the value of every human being.
* empowers people to grab hold of that power and use it for their own particular benefit.
* encourages independence of thought and seeking of new ways for believing and doing
  - the majority to decide things about which the majority is blissfully ignorant
* engenders human freedoms necessary for economic progress.
* ensures freedom of speech and of association and freedom of the press.
* entails responsibilities as well as rights.
* exists in a place where there is real plurality, truly different political movements
  - degrees, beginning with total democracy and running to no democracy
  - to compel power-brokers to be more honest and inclusive about their dealings
* exists, really, on a variety of different levels.
* extends the sphere of individual freedom, socialism restricts it.
* facilitator of a blended society.
* factor of peace.
* fails when the rights of the majority trample on the rights of the minority.
* farce in Columbia.
* favourite cliche bandied about by all the despotic, criminal and murderous dictators.
* feels like people standing up for their rights.
* fig leaf that they can wave when they like.
* flourishes only when freedom is accompanied by responsibility.
* form of social organization, no more no less.
* fundamental right of all Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
* gives states increased strength by harnessing the energies of the masses for the state.
* goal that often gets people excited and then slaughtered.
* good system of government.
* great philosophy of government, but it's no way to raise children.
* grows and technology continues to shrink the globe, reducing vast oceans to mere ponds.
* guarantees a system of government in accordance with the wishes and plans of the majority.
* happens only when an informed, engaged and concerned electorate takes responsibility
  - when everyone participates in political decisions
* hard-won protection against tyranny.
* has a long history in Finland
  - vision of human rights, social justice and equality
  - an infinite capacity for improvement and expansion when citizens engage in it
  - counterdevices, such as paying the poor to attend the assembly
  - great value in controlling the worst impulses of ethnicity and nationalism
  - little to do with political borders or with the existence of the state
  - many sources, and antecedents going back for centuries
  - meaning when every citizen participates
  - no maximum limit, and human rights have no ceiling
  - several inherent characteristics that are conducive to promoting human rights
* helps people to protect their own fundamental interests.
* holds that free nations can settle differences justly and maintain a lasting peace.
* implies a government that responds to popular anxieties, needs and desires
  - representation
* institutionalizes the process.
* involves free choice
  - the vote, yes
* is , in fact, a form of Fabian socialism
  - Founded in Scripture
* is about a system that accurately reflects the views and desires of the electorate
  - allowing students to make their own decisions
* is about balancing rights and responsibilities
  - the rights of the majority with protection for minorities
  - each person having a voice and a part in the political process
  - good governance
  - having people believe they have a stake in democratic processes and institutions
  - informed participation
  - much more than the rule of law
  - numbers
  - peaceful resolution of conflicting opinions and interests
  - popular political participation
  - restraining use of legal coercion by putting some bounds on it
  - self-rule
* is about the ability to give and take
  - people ruling themselves
  - tolerance and respect for the rights of other citizens
  - trying to introduce better legislation and better regulations
  - afraid of remembering and language is afraid of speaking
* is all about diverse interests finding ways to work together for the common good
  - the common man controlling who comes to power
* is also a broad extension of atheism
  - form of worship
  - about what happens after the election
  - conducive to factionalism and long meetings
  - infective
  - always and everywhere a work in progress
* is an abstract concept
  - experiment in governance
  - ideology, a conviction, an attitude, and a set of procedures and mechanisms
  - illusion, purporting to establish equality among men
  - important value and institution of the human race
  - infinitely including spirit
* is an inherently imperfect and often messy form of government
  - uncertain process
  - integral part of our ancient culture and civilisation
  - ongoing moral experiment in a people's capacity to govern themselves
  - outgrowth of community and requires effort and vigilance
  - underappreciated luxury only recently enjoyed by a majority of living humans
  - another system that is unjustly impugned
  - ascendent as many African countries undertake significant political reforms
  - associated with particular kinds of spatialities
  - at the foundation of sustainable peace, and civil society is the basis of democracy
* is based on accountability, which makes responsible record-keeping mandatory
  - an informed populace making informed decisions
  - envy
  - individual education and participation
  - one person, one vote
  - reason, a sense of fair play, and freedom, and a respect for other people
  - strong representation at all levels of government
* is based on the assumption that a million men are wiser than one man
  - concept of popular sovereignty
  - consitutional right of 'No taxation without representation'
  - majority principle
  - principle of one person, one vote
  - rights and responsibilities of individuals and the rule of law
  - theory that every vote counts
* is both a form of government and a type of society
  - way of making collective decisions and a form of participation in society
  - brought into our lives by personal relationships, recreation and education
  - built on the principle that every citizen has an equal vote and equal rights
  - buttressed by science's values
  - by nature the politics of public opinion
  - choice among goals and among means
  - compatible with our religious beliefs and cultural spirit
  - crucial for peace
  - dead in the United States
  - defined by elections
  - degeneracy
  - dependent on activity, social and political commitment to community
  - desirable because it promotes freedom of inquiry
  - direct access to leadership
  - education about current issues and how to become involved with such issues
  - enriched by differences
  - equal protection under law
* is essential for economic growth and human development
  - to preserving freedom
  - established on the belief of capitalism i.e. separation of religion and state
  - for rich people who can afford lawyers
  - founded on dissent
* is founded on the notion that a. sovereign political power rests with the people
  - primacy of the law and the exercise of human rights
* is founded upon and sustained by law
  - four wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch
* is good because it makes political power accountable to the people
  - government by discussion, or by deliberation
* is government by the people using free elections to choose their representatives
  - hard work for both politicians and citizens
  - humanism applied to government
  - in many ways nothing more than a set of rules for managing conflict
  - incompatible with poverty, crime, violence and the wanton disregard for human life
  - incomplete without the participation of women in politics
  - inherent in the community's major public shaper of the pleasant life
  - institutionalised gangsterism
  - just as likely to fall as any other form of government
  - less and less society's sovereign, even though public rhetoric continues as usual
  - like a person sitting on top of a pyramid of people
* is little more than mob rule or a dictatorship by majority opinion
  - rule, while liberty refers to the sovereignty of the individual
  - loud, often unruly, and always public
  - merely a means to select leaders
  - mob rule, but with income taxes
* is more than casting a ballot every four years
  - electing officials
  - having several political parties and elections every few years
* is more than just a multi-party system with free elections
  - voting in the odd referendum and periodic elections
  - spreading information freely
* is much inferior to consumer sovereignty as a means of exerting popular control
  - more than casting a ballot every few years
  - much, much broader than politics
* is no longer the political system that defines our rights
  - synonym for freedom
  - vaccination against poverty
  - now, in theory, Russia's system of government
  - offered as the only hope of achieving domestic or international peace
* is one method of harmonizing parts and wholes, as is the ecological way of life
  - of the ways of governing a country
  - political expression of the common good
  - way of easing conflict within a country
* is only as strong as the dialogue that people can conduct about current conditions
  - meaningful if people take advantage of their right to participate
  - participatory and community-oriented
  - political systems
* is predicated upon a belief in the fundamental sovereignty of the citizenry of a nation
  - preferable to any other form of government
  - real only when power of administration is distributed to the people at large
  - regulated by wealth
  - representation by the people, number one
  - right and all other forms of government are wrong or at least inferior
  - rooted in respect for all people
* is rule and opposition
  - seen as the ultimate value, the pinnacle of human political achievement
  - self-government
  - served by politicians being dependent on voters
  - slavery to the majority
* is something that grows from the ground up
  - millions of people have fought and died for throughout the years
  - state dictatorship of the majority
  - strengthened by having a free flow of ideas and criticisms by members of society
* is supposed to empower people
  - unite society
  - that system of political governance in which the ayes have it and the nays get it
* is the ability of every person to contribute daily to the way they are governed
  - antithesis of the natural rights of man
* is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage
  - basis for sustainable economic growth and regional stability
* is the best form of government because it allows for individual participation
  - yet created
  - mechanism ever devised to solve problems
  - breeding-ground of aristocracy
  - earth in which stability takes root
  - essential strategy for achieving national mobilisation
  - fastest growing type of government in the world
  - foundation for accountable and transparent government
* is the foundation of everything
  - our society
  - fullest possible acceptance of the single life
  - glue that can bind together diverse elements in society
  - government of the people, by the people and for the people
  - great love of the failures and cowards of life
  - ideal means for achieving social cohesion and the equitable distribution of wealth
  - last stage of brothers seeking parents
  - limited power of the greatest number, and the power of the greatest limited number
  - means of putting human rights into action
* is the most important characteristic of the western democratic order in the minds of many
  - inevitable force in the course of human history
  - widespread of political systems
* is the only means for the protection of freedom and innovation
  - method of peaceful change that man has yet been discovered
* is the only system by which full human rights and workers rights can be obtained
  - capable of reflecting the humanist premise of equilibrium or balance
  - that has faith in the free mind
  - people's best friend
  - political aspect of the assertion of the supreme importance of the individual
  - project of the multitude, a creative force, a living god
  - right of the majority to oppress the majority
* is the rule by or the dominion of the people over the people
  - same concept everywhere
  - self interest of the individual
  - standard by which governments are measured
  - working model of any form of mob rule
  - worst form of government except for all of the others
* is the worst form of government, except for all other forms of government
  - except for all the rest
  - with the exception of all others
  - system devised by the wit of man, except for all the others
* is three wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for lunch
  - one sheep voting on what to have for supper
  - to be construed as the right to choose among commodities
* is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch
  - sheep voting on lunch
  - weak in Colombia
* is what the people have voted for eight years ago
  - they support, and the rebirth of long destroyed United States
  - works
  - when people have free election to choose their representatives
* is when the masses do the same thing
  - whole country gets what the majority of voters deserve
  - two wolves and a lamb vote on what to eat for dinner
  - where it all starts
* is, in essence, a form of non-violent conflict management.
* key part of access when it comes to the political process.
* learned behavior.
* long-term process.
* looks like a line of people voting for freedom.
* makes governing institutions more open to popular influences
  - the assumption that is representation by the people
* mandates that the local population has a say in their community's well-being.
* matter of free choice and free rotation of power
* means a society in which every person is committed to ensuring human rights for everyone
  - different things to different people
  - dignity amongst people
  - economic liberation
  - engaging in the struggle to find the common good
  - governance by the people
  - government in the hands of 'the many' rather than 'the few'
  - human rights for all, including criminals
  - more than multiparty elections every four or five years
  - paying attention
  - people's ability to do things by themselves
  - popular rule according to the principle of one person, one vote
  - putting a cross on a piece of paper once every five years
* means rule by citizens
  - everyone or no one
  - shopping incessantly
  - simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people
* means that parties have to use whatever weapons they have to hand
  - some government officials are selected by voters
* means that the majority rules and that the rights of the minority are protected
  - people have the right to vote, to speak, to assemble, that sort of thing
* means the freedom to question our political leaders
  - people rule
  - rule of the majority tempered by respect for the rights of the individual
* means, literally, government by the people.
* mechanism to identify the sense and feeling of the people.
* method of ruling that contains major guidelines and details.
* missionary faith.
* more important principle than who wins or loses any election.
* national institution treasured by every citizen, regardless of wealth and status.
* needs an enlightened citizenry if it is to function as a free society.
* new form of organization in the history of humankind.
* now refers to a complete, complex way of life.
* offers citizens advantages and opportunities that no other form of government can provide
  - peaceful ways of handling conflicts and different interests
  - the greatest chance for people to realize their full potential
* often means taking different sides on different issues.
* only comes into existence from civil society.
* only works if everyone behaves themselves
  - people participate
  - through participation and vigilance
  - to represent the majority when the majority actually votes
* only works when the people get involved
  - voters are informed
  - where voters are informed about issues and candidates
* parent to development.
* participatory experiment in self-governing.
* permeates society.
* permits diversity and invention for individuals and cultures
  - the participation of all citizens
* places the responsibility of involvement on the people it benefits.
* political system based on the participation of the people
  - under which the people choose their own government
* positive creative evocation of our limitations, of our reality
  - term in the West
* posits a representation based on a free exercise of the vote.
* practice of government common to many nations and to millions of people.
* practices diversity and tolerance.
* prerequisite for peace and development within and between our countries.
* presupposes a free market of ideas
  - the free dissemination of ideas, including philosophical ideas
* process for ensuring that each gets an equal session with the eye
  - which takes many years and much work to consolidate
* product of Western societies
  - a social, cultural and political environment
* promotes a sustainable consensus for economic reform.
* promotes stability and engenders policies that promote peace and development
  - prosperity
* proposes to serve national interests, achieve balance between rights, duties.
* provides the platform for public debate, and policy preferences for the greatest number.
* puts most of the political power in the hands of the people.
* reality in many areas.
* recognizes that society is in a constant state of change.
* reflects human imperfections, how things go wrong.
* relative concept.
* relies on informed electorate, free flow of ideas, education
  - strong, active citizenship inside and outside of government
* remains the basic bond of our nations.
* requires a climate of stable economic growth if it is to survive and grow
  - decision-making system based on majority rule, with minority rights protected
  - accommodation of all ethnic communities, both majority and minority
  - both civic responsibility and individual accountability
  - dissolution of private power
  - functioning governance
  - healthy societies of citizens in communities
  - high standards of education and truthful media
  - human rights for everyone, everywhere
  - legitimate institutions that encourage healthy civil societies
  - mass participation in the process of government and public administration
  - more than voting, it requires self-government
  - openness and light
  - regular monitoring in view of the evolution of society
  - respect for the rights, beliefs and traditions of the minority
  - that votes be counted
* requires the active participation of all citizens
  - consent of the governed
  - public to make choices and decisions
* respects the rule of law and process.
* responsibility of everyone and for every citizen.
* rests on the premise that sovereignty belongs to the people rather than the ruler.
* sacred trust for future generations.
* scam to keep people from killing the people in power.
* sets forth a just and legitimate way of governing the communities organized by nations.
* sometimes calls for debate and struggle.
* sounds like people having freedom of speech
  - people, because they have the power to choose
* stands or falls with the truths and values which it embodies and promotes.
* starts in the hearts and minds of people.
* suffers when individuals have fewer opportunities to express their views
  - too many people stay on the sidelines
* system based on trust in human responsibility
  - built on distrust
* system of government where people get what they deserve
  - ruling whereby man is sovereign in legislating laws and systems
  - that configures power relations with citizens day by day
* takes people who know how to get the vote
  - precedence over capitalism
* term unknown to man.
* thrives only when all the voices are heard.
* translates into accountability.
* true expression of the people's aspirations, hopes, and dreams.
* truly works only when people exercise their right to participate in the electoral process.
* twin-track process.
* type of government, a political regime of laws and institutions.
* ultimately depends on active public participation.
* unique blend of competent leadership and vigorous citizenship.
* universal, inalienable right.
* very difficult form of government to sustain.
* way of governance
* whole range of responsibilities that is governed by many rules and regulations.
* word all politicians use, and very few seem to understand.
* works best when all people participate in it freely
  - the voters represent a broad spectrum of society
  - if people are involved in their government
  - in many countries around the world
  - only in societies where responsible people of integrity value people
* works only when everyone participates
  - the people vote for what they believe is right
  - voters are educated and informed
+ Dispute, How disputes are resolved, Democracy: War :: Communication :: Conflicts :: Sociology :: Human issues
  * Democracy is one way of easing conflict within a country. It is not a perfect solution, for small groups may feel they are permanently excluded from power. Free speech and freedom from censorship exist to some extent in democracies. These freedoms are valuable to minority groups inside a country. Countries that have these freedoms are called open or liberal democracies.
+ Election: Voting systems
  * Most democratic countries hold new elections for their national legislature every few years, but this differs from country to country. In others, these are appointed. Some democracies have regional, provincial or state elections too.
+ Government, Types of governments, Democracy:
  * The most common in the Western world is called democracy. In democracies, all of the people in a country can vote during elections for representatives or political parties that they prefer. The people in democracies can elect representatives who will sit on legislatures such as the Parliament or Congress. Political parties are organizations of people with similar ideas about how a country or region should be governed. Different political parties have different ideas about how the government should handle different problems. Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people.
+ Humberto Maturana, Publications: 1928 births :: Biologists :: Chilean people :: Systems scientists :: Living people
  * Democracy is a work of art'. Linotype Ed Bogota Bolivar y Cia.