The imbalance between the demands of democratic societies and leaders who tend to dictatorial power has been growing for decades.

Who could forget Rodney Dangerfield’s character in Back to School? In one of the most memorable scenes in the movie, Dangerfield and a business professor have an interesting back and forth. The professor describes in ideal conditions how a company is set up and run. Dangerfield, an expert businessman in practice, cannot stop himself from correcting the professor and saying that running a real business means paying off people, taking care of the union guys and the like. The banter is quite funny, but the story could describe the difference between what democracy is supposed to be and what it has become in the early 21st century.

In a truly democratic system, the people choose those who will represent them in government. Those elected are generally similar in background to those who put them in office. The government officials are supposed to act in the best interests of the voters. The reality is that those elected often become obsessed with staying in power and act to preserve their position. Those who elected them are forgotten or ignored until another election is in order. The democratic system should ideally be transparent. In reality, democratic systems throughout the West are opaque. It’s one thing to classify the specifications of a naval nuclear reactor. It’s quite something else to hide facts related to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The former is prudent as it keeps America safe; the latter is wrong as it is based on embarrassment and not national security.

That which is amazing is how people like Barack Obama or........

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