Stiggy the Cookieless writes:

"' It would astound me if our present version of what we call "democracy" was the finest possible social system people can attain to."

Because it isn't - "democracy" has become interchangeable with "capitalism" and along with laissez-faire (sic) economic policies have created a society of astounding inequality (I would suggest you could call this Western Capitalism as practiced in the US, Canada, Australia and UK)."


Wrong! It isn't a democracy and it isn't necessarily capitalism. It is (in the US at any rate) a republic with quasi-democratically elected representatives. Capitalism can happen under most forms of government, e.g. The Peoples Republic of China.

TheSnail! and !! and !!! I wouldn't WANT the job or the responsibility or the publicity! And who is to ultimately say that I am right? If anything I would tend to place myself more in the camp of the self-indulgent. Or perhaps Qoheleth or John the Baptist, the voice in the wilderness. The great thing about freedom of speech in general and this forum in particular is that you can voice your ideas and beliefs and the MORE information that Folks have, the more apt they are to choose a correct, or at least better path. Read again what I wrote. It is all CONCERNED, all INFORMED and all who CARE, who ought to be deciding what direction to go that is the best chance we have.