The real root of the demise of democracy (by which I mean a form of government that actually honestly and decently represents the people)...at any rate, the real root of the demise of democracy in the USA can be traced to:

1. the fractional reserve lending system which allows the banks to create vast amounts of money out of thin air...thus enriching themselves, causing rampant inflation, and putting the whole society into unpayable levels of debt....and most particularly, the handing over of financial power (money creation) to the Federal Reserve Bank in the early 20th century.

2. the evolution of political parties, which have become self-promoting entities whose only real concern is the pursuit of power, and holding onto that power once they have it. These political parties create permanent psychological divisions between most of the members of the public, and those divisions grow far worse with time, as they are tied to a negative mindset in regards to the "other" party (or parties). This basically divides a nation into mutually incompatible groups of people who hate and despise each other. In the long run this can only lead toward disaster, because as Abe Lincoln said, "a house divided against itself cannot stand". That applies just as well to the existing situation as it did in Lincoln's day.

And we see the results of that becoming ever more exacerbated in the present day USA where demonization of Democrats by Republicans and Republicans by Democrats has reached the level of becoming a national mental illness...and has made rational political discussion between the two more or less impossible for a lot of people. You can't have a rational discussion with someone you regard as "evil" and for whom you have no respect.

Where does such a situation end? It ends in a civil war...or in the imposition of some sort of severe authoritarian rule from above to keep the lid on the pot, so to speak. Either way, it ends in the destruction of what could be termed "freedom" or "democracy".

Freedom is established through unity...through joining together on the many things we share in common, which far outweigh the things that divide us. Unity is achieved through mutual respect. I see very little mutual respect being shown nowadays, either in the political arena...or on this forum.

And that's why I don't participate much in the political threads anymore, because it just depresses me and makes me feel hopeless.

And I'd rather not be depressed, you see. Why should I add to the already existing challenges of my life in that fashion? How could it possibly help?

And how does it help you? (the tiny handful of people on Mudcat who fight with each other every day on the political threads...while most people here can't be bothered to) It doesn't really help you at all. That's clear. But you can't let go of it, can you?