> The young generation who don't appreciate having democracy are bulking at democracy and choosing socialism. Contrary to what some people argue, "democracy ve

> The young generation who don't appreciate having democracy are bulking at democracy and choosing socialism. Contrary to what some people argue, "democracy versus no democracy" and "capitalism versus socialism versus communism" are separate axes. For example, there exist capitalist countries with very little democracy. And there exist socialist countries with relatively robust democratic institutions. And the opposite combinations exist. (There have not, as far as I know, been very many self-proclaimed communist countries with robust democratic institutions.) The questions that I care about are, "Can the people of the country make a comfortable living?", "Can they successfully petition the government for a redress of their greivances?", and "Does the country protect minorities of various sorts from the tyranny of the majority?" Achieving all three of these can be a challenge, and different countries may vote for more or less safety net.