> I don't think democracy rests on voters being "secure" (in the welfare state sense) when they make their decision. This is a really interesting question/asse

> I don't think democracy rests on voters being "secure" (in the welfare state sense) when they make their decision. This is a really interesting question/assertion. I lean toward security being necessary for good decision making. For example, people whose time is spent primarily on "getting by" will have far less time and psychological wherewithal to propose new ideas that meet their needs and the group; creative problem solving is less likely[1]. They may be able to voice their opinion on a multiple-choice proposal, however, which could pass as democracy I suppose. A smaller number of people may have a creative ability that is inversely related to stress--necessity is the mother of invention and all that. But I don't think that is a majority, and perhaps unfortunately, democracy depends on the psychological traits of the majority. [1] http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/strsbeta.htm http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/strsbeta.htm