"What is actually (though unpopularly) valuable in our society is not democracy, but the Bill of Rights, high trust, and rule of law" All of these mean nothing

"What is actually (though unpopularly) valuable in our society is not democracy, but the Bill of Rights, high trust, and rule of law" All of these mean nothing if the people in charge are not held accountable for their actions/policies. And people who stay in power for long periods of time, tend to not be huge fans of accountability when it comes to their practices.