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Comment by ebcode | Hacker News Reader

>USA might be a democracy but there is no power in the hands of the people anymore.

Question: How can we (I live in the US) still be a democracy if there is no power in the hands of the people?

I think either the US has slowly become an oligarchy[1], or it has always been an oligarchy that was merely good at pretending to be a democratic republic. I would vote if I thought it would have an effect, but sadly our voting process is inscrutable. I, like many others, pray for a revolution here soon.

1. Edit: just found out Jimmy Carter apparently agrees with this: https://theintercept.com/2015/07/30/jimmy-carter-u-s-oligarc...

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The patricians, in their minds, felt the Roman Republic was "democratic", where consuls (and other powerful officials) could only be other patricians, and intermarriage between plebeians and patricians was forbidden. I imagine that's how the various elites of the US feel as well. (Hint: because the system benefits them)

Obviously, the plebeians felt otherwise and either started a revolt or simply refused to participate in their corrupted system, until reforms were made.

It's the same pattern repeating itself throughout history, when a seemingly benevolent system becomes corrupted by refusing to protect its most vulnerable populace and uphold its rule of law.

Don't eschew your civic duty, though. Even if you feel your vote "does not make a difference", you empower those who will one day remove that right from you. You're not using it anyway, right?

They will remove that power regardless of whether I vote. Bernie should have won the Democratic primaries, but the Democratic establishment shut him down.

I want real power. My political views are not represented. No single candidate could ever represent me, because my opinions are minorities in many ways. The things I care about are not the issues that the media is pushing.

A government that cared about me would find some way for me to be represented. Perhaps a multiparty system like France. Perhaps the ability to directly vote on a small number of issues, instead of being forced into picking a candidate that supports 20% of my ideas over a candidate that supports 8% of them.

Or how about a media that'll at least acknowledge severe fraud allegations?: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hDc8PVCvfKs

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