> Real problems to attack: The pitfalls of implementing representative democracy via legislators who develop strong social ties with each other; […] On that on

> Real problems to attack: The pitfalls of implementing representative democracy via legislators who develop strong social ties with each other; […] On that one, we could start by dropping the word "democracy" altogether. "Democracy" used to refer to something like Athenian democracy. The people participated directly to the policy making of the city, or were drawn at random when it wasn't practical. They really have the power to rule themselves. What we have now used to be called "representative government". The people do not have the power to rule themselves, they instead elect an elite that presumably would be better at ruling than the people themselves. This is not much, but the mechanism is very similar to "intellectual property". Technically, the correct term is "monopoly". But it has bad connotation, while "property" has good connotation. "Democracy" has good connotation, "representative government" is neutral at best.