10 effective things citizens can do to make change in addition to attending a protest like "No kings". Really!

Utterly stupid protests like "No kings" indeed can erode democracy! However, Western democracies have already survived many of such ridiculous protests in the past.

The author is "Shelley Inglis, Senior Visiting Scholar with the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Rutgers University"

"That may well be the question being asked by “No Kings” protesters, who marched, rallied and danced all over the nation on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.

Pro-democracy groups [???] had aimed to encourage large numbers of Americans to demonstrate that “together we are choosing democracy.” ...

And while multiple GOP leaders had attacked the planned demonstrations, describing them as “hate America” rallies, political science scholars and national security experts agree that the current U.S. administration’s actions are indeed placing the world’s oldest continuous constitutional republic in jeopardy.[???]

Once a democracy starts to erode, it can be difficult to reverse the trend. ..."

10 effective things citizens can do to make change in addition to attending a protest

On the very slow progess of term limits for all members of the US Congress

A necessary and long overdue reform is making progress, slowly but surely!

Maybe in my remaining lifetime I will witness this important and long overdue reform to become enshrined in the US Constitution!

To heck with too many mediocre life-time career elected representatives in Western democracies! An elected office should be only for a limited time like a court juror or the US President!

Quite possibly, Joseph Biden would never have become President of the 46th US President with term limits!

Quoting from an email I received today from the US Term Limits:

"Here's where our movement stands today:

>>>  More than 80% of Americans support term limits for Congress.  It is the most popular reform idea in America.

>>>  So far twelve states have officially passed our term limits convention legislation.  Many, many more will have the opportunity to vote on it this winter.

Congress cannot stop the states from beginning this process of amending the Constitution. In fact, Congress will be forced to pass a term limits amendment itself rather than allow the states to unilaterally impose one!

>>> 102 members of the U.S. House have now publicly signed on to our term limits amendment in the U.S. House. Nearly one fifth of the senate has done the same.

>>> 220 non-incumbent candidates for Congress in 2026 have signed our pledge to support USTLs term limits amendment.

>>> 1,547 incumbent state legislators have signed our pledge vote for the Term Limits Convention to amend the constitution. 

>>> 599 non-incumbent candidates for state legislatures have signed that pledge to!"

How we will put term limits on Congress

A radical proposal to abolish state government and strengthen American democracy. Really!

A proposal from another nutty professor! Thank God, he is emeritus! What an utter fool and advocate for central Big Government by eliminating state governments! He wants to reduce the three levels of territorial government in America to only two levels, central and local government!

Federalism is one of the pillars/cornerstones of the great experiment in human history called Democracy in America since Alexis de Tocqueville (in 1835/40)! Federalism e.g. allows for experimentation (laboratory of democracy), voting by feet and many more benefits.

"Get rid of states? Legal scholar Stephen Legomsky, who taught for 34 years at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, has just published a book, “Reimagining the American Union,” that proposes a radical idea [???]: Abolish state government. The Conversation’s politics and democracy editor, Naomi Schalit – a former statehouse reporter herself – interviewed Legomsky about the provocative idea behind his book, in which he advocates moving most of the functions of state government down to the local level, closer to those represented and governed by it. ..."

A radical proposal to abolish state government and strengthen American democracy

This book by the nutty professor costs $42 for the digital edition!

The nutty professor

Shame again on the Dimocratic Party

Not one U.S. Representative of the Donkey Party voted to censure Adam Schiff!!!! And only five of them had even the guts to vote present! They vote like a communist party, strictly party line!

This is totally appalling! A very dark moment for Democracy in America! (Credits)

Donald Trump the martyr!

The deep state, the Washington DC swamp, or whatever you want to call it, has tried about everything to ruin or destroy this man's political ambitions. Their contempt for him knows no bounds! 

Western democracies are unfortunately dominated by too many lifelong career politicians and bureaucrats! Very unhealthy! Term limits would be one option for serious reform! At least the U.S. introduced term limits for presidents in 1951, but that was enough as we can plainly witness now!

The contrast could not be more stark. On the other side, you have the senile and demented, and lifelong pathological liar 46th President, who may have sold his services to foreigners to enrich himself and his clan! He was promoted and protected by all means!

He will go down in history as someone, who challenged the system and as a martyr!

One-third of Oregon counties vote to secede to join 'Greater Idaho'

Good news! Is this gerrymandering? 😊 Democracy at its best!

Remember, the American Civil War was also about secession!

"One-third of Oregon counties have voted in support of the "Greater Idaho" movement to secede from Oregon to join their conservative eastern neighbors.

Wallowa County became the 12th in Oregon to join the initiative after officials finalized the special election results Tuesday, according to Fox News.

The vote was held in May and the preliminary results showed support for joining Idaho led by 21 votes. By the time the votes were finalized the following month, the lead shrunk to seven, avoiding Oregon's threshold for a mandatory recount by one vote.

The "Greater Idaho" movement began in 2019 with the idea that large portions of rural eastern Oregon could leave to join Idaho. The movement has since grown to include people from California and Washington, according to the group's website, which says the idea behind the movement is "so that conservative counties can become a part of a red state."

So far, 12 out of 12 counties that have held elections on the matter have voted in favor of exploring secession. The original "Greater Idaho" movement includes 15 of Oregon's 36 counties. ..."

One-third of Oregon counties vote to secede to join 'Greater Idaho' | Just The News

Joseph and Esther Reed of Pennsylvania and the American Revolution

Very recommendable!

"... Esther teamed up with Benjamin Franklin’s daughter, Sarah Bache, and formed the Ladies Association of Philadelphia to support the troops. It proved to be the largest private fundraising campaign of the war.

The kick-off for the effort was the publication in January 1780 of a broadside written substantially by Esther herself. Titled Sentiments of a British-American Woman, it appealed to the patriotic instincts of all women who loved liberty. ...

She cited a long list of historical heroines who were “Born for Liberty”—naming biblical figures such as Deborah and Queen Esther and, later, saints such as Joan of Arc, but also including all the anonymous women who in wartime had ignored “the weakness of their sex” and built fortifications, dug trenches with their bare hands, and sacrificed their jewels, fine clothing, and money to save their country.

Esther and Sarah called for every female in Pennsylvania to come forth with “offerings” of money to help the war effort. Nothing, they declared, would be too small and everything would be put to good use. They would get the money to the troops through General Washington’s wife, Martha. 

Letters between Esther Reed and General Washington (which you can read here) indicate that Esther initially wanted to give the money directly to the soldiers in the sum of two dollars each. But Washington, concerned that the men might spend it on liquor, urged her to use it instead to buy linen and cloth, and then enlist volunteers to sew it into clothes.

In short order, the Ladies Association raised more than $300,000 (more than $6 million in 2021 dollars) from over 1,600 Pennsylvanians, an astonishing sum. ...

The Ladies Association engendered huge enthusiasm among Philadelphia women, who not only sewed the clothing but also knocked on doors to raise the money. The effort was an inspiration across the colonies, leading to the formation of similar groups from New England to the South. ..."

Joseph and Esther Reed: Two Reeds I Want to be Related To - Foundation for Economic Education Joseph and Esther Reed were notable for their contributions to the cause of liberty in the American Revolution.

Marjorie Taylor Greene permanently suspended on Twitter

Obviously, Twitter has gone too far in suspending the account of one of the 435 U.S. Representatives of the American people. I do not know whether Representative Greene has another Twitter account or not.

Obviously, Twitter could have used less drastic measures e.g. by flagging or even deleting her posts that violate Twitter policies etc.

Marjorie Taylor Greene permanently suspended on Twitter - TheBlaze

Appeal To Moderate Democratic Party Members Of The U.S. Congress

Posted: 2/6/2020

If moderate members of the Dimocratic Party in the U.S. Congress still exist, then it is high time to make a choice! Become independent or join the Republican Party! 

Will the moderate democrats have wisdom, fortitude, and strength and stand up for their convictions and in order to preserve the promise of the American Experiment!

The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is irresponsible and inept! The impeachment travesty has done great damage to the Democracy in America, its reputation abroad, and so on ...

Trump Impeachment Results: How Democrats and Republicans Voted

This is a deeply disturbing result! Again a strict party line vote by the U.S. senators except for one. No democratic senator voted against! This is very shameful and confirms that the party ought to be referred to as the Dimocratic Party! This party needs to come to their senses urgently and ASAP! 

Democracy in America suffers greatly if in a two party system one of the parties becomes unhinged and so irresponsible!

Let's hope the American voters will penalize this party to their bones come November 2020!

Trump Impeachment Results: How Democrats and Republicans Voted - The New York Times: See how each senator will vote on whether to convict and remove President Trump from office.

The Dimocratic Party Of The United States

Posted: 1/25/2020 

These are very serious times!

When one party of a traditional two-party system is hell bent to destroy one of the oldest running democracies in the world! A two party system like the one in the U.S. does not survive if one party becomes obsessed with derangement!

The Dimocratic Party has no adult supervision anymore. The party is run by a not very small coterie of unhinged politicians! Nancy Pelosi is symptomatic for this! She is the longtime Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. It is incumbent upon her to reign in the utter nonsense of her party colleagues!

We can only hope that the American voters will send a very strong message to the Dimocratic Party in November of 2020!

Too Many Stupid Donkeys In The U.S. Democratic Party

Posted: 7/12/2018

Motivation

These days are the congressional hearings regarding the high level FBI agent Peter Strzok, who among other things was fired from the infamous Robert Mueller investigation, who was involved in the Hillary Clinton investigation, and who had a dalliance with another FBI agent (female) discussing in text messages how to stop candidate Trump and more.

That a lot of high ranking politicians (Harry Reid, Pelosi, Schumer, Kamala Harris, Pocahontas, and so many more) from the Democratic Party have been awful and leftist to point beyond comprehension is severely damaging to Democracy in America!

When Politicians Are Grossly Irresponsible

Today, I followed for about 30 minutes or so the U.S. Congressional hearing about FBI agent Peter Strzok. During these 30 minutes, mostly Democratic Party politicians were given their allotted time during the hearing. Most of these democrats used their entire time to do election campaigning, running down their talking points. This was preposterous to watch! Not even a moment of pretense to take these hearings seriously although this hearing deals with what appears has the markings of Watergate II.

Sometimes pictures say more than 1,000 words. Here is one:

The U.S. Democratic Party Needs To Get Their Act Together

As I said before in my blog post, democracy works best when competent, common sense politicians in at least two opposing parties compete with each other for votes and approval from citizens.

It is always the opposition party’s responsibility to set an example and to demonstrate that they are capable to do a better job!

The Democratic Party of the U.S. has been in a deep crisis for many years now and therefore the political system of the U.S. tremendously suffers.

Tocqueville On Self Government

Posted: 7/22/2013

A Quote From His Masterpiece

Today, I came across following quote from Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy In America (Emphasis added):

“The Anglo-Americans place moral authority in universal reason, as they do political power in the universality of citizens, and they consider that you must rely on the sense of all in order to discern what is permitted or forbidden, what is true or false.

Most of them think that knowledge of his interest well understood is sufficient to lead a man toward the just and the honest.

They believe that each person by birth has received the ability to govern himself, and

that no one has the right to force his fellow to be happy.

All have an intense faith in human perfectibility; they judge that the diffusion of knowledge must necessarily produce useful results, ignorance must lead to harmful effects;

all consider society as a body in progress; humanity as a changing scene, where nothing is or should be fixed forever, and they admit that what seems good to them today can be replaced tomorrow by something better that is still hidden.

I do not say that all these opinions are correct, but they are American.”

(Source: “CHAPTER 10: Some Considerations on the Present State and Probable Future of the Three Races That Inhabit the Territory of the United States”)

Were Tocqueville To Return Today

Tocqueville would be surprised would he come back to visit the U.S. today to see that elected big government is forcing happiness on its citizens for at least the past 113 years and that the ability to govern themselves has diminished so drastically in this country.

Democracy In Crisis

History Is Littered With Fallen Empires

The title of this blog post is intentionally patterned after the famous book “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville.

Democracy is arguably the best form of government humans have ever come up with, but democracy is by far no guarantor that such governments will not share the fate of decline by their own doing.

The Great Recession

First, the global housing crisis, then the financial sector crisis, followed by a sovereign debt crisis of overextended welfare states all have exposed the ineptitude of our elected politicians. Politicians who understand how the free market economy works are extremely rare. Most of them are as clueless as the current two-term US President Obama.

First of all, our elected politicians are responsible for all these crisis by having implemented over decades flawed policies like affordable housing for everyone; financial sector overregulation and bailout; recklessly low interest rates over long periods; a major ever expanding monetary union (EMU) at any price and by breaching key contracts; and so on.

Inherent Expansion Of Soft Despotism In Democracies

The term soft despotism is believed to be coined by Alexis de Tocqueville. Almost 200 years after his death we can note that the trajectory of soft despotism lead to the big governments we all are now so familiar with in western democracies. This unhealthy growth of paternalism is to be reversed. The sooner, the better.

Long forgotten are the ideals of the founders of America such as individual liberty and limited government.

In Tocqueville’s own words:

“It [big government] covers the surface of society with a network of small complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting. Such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.

Our contemporaries are constantly excited by two conflicting passions: they want to be led, and they wish to remain free. As they cannot destroy either the one or the other of these contrary propensities, they strive to satisfy them both at once. They devise a sole, tutelary, and all-powerful form of government, but elected by the people. They combine the principle of centralization and that of popular sovereignty; this gives them a respite: they console themselves for being in tutelage by the reflection that they have chosen their own guardians. Every man allows himself to be put in leading-strings, because he sees that it is not a person or a class of persons, but the people at large who hold the end of his chain.

By this system the people shake off their state of dependence just long enough to select their master and then relapse into it again. A great many persons at the present day are quite contented with this sort of compromise between administrative despotism and the sovereignty of the people; and they think they have done enough for the protection of individual freedom when they have surrendered it to the power of the nation at large.”

“Democracy, Tocqueville argued, was capable of breeding its own form of despotism, albeit of the “soft” variety. He spoke of “an immense protective power” that took all responsibility for everyone’s happiness—just so long as this power remained “sole agent and judge of it.” This power, Tocqueville projected, would “resemble parental authority” but would try to keep people “in perpetual childhood” by relieving people “from all the trouble of thinking and all the cares of living.”” (source).

Restore Limited Government

1.       Amend the constitution to limit the size of all government to less than 33% of GDP.

2.       Amend the constitution to require balanced, comprehensively defined government budgets except in times of major emergencies or war.

3.       Privatize the public sector to the maximum extent possible. No exceptions!

4.       Amend the constitution, for as long as government is responsible for monetary policy, that short-term nominal interest rates cannot be set lower than the inflation rate plus productivity growth.

Strict Term Limits For The Entire Public Sector

What is good for the diplomatic corps, i.e. the rotation of diplomats and staff every so often is good for elected politicians, police officers, judges, and bureaucrats.

Anybody involved in public service ought to be term limited no matter which branch of government, legislative, administrative, law enforcement, or judiciary. If appointed or elected or hired in the public sector you will be in public service for a limited time only. Nobody should plan on a lifelong career in public service.

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Democracy of all forms of government that have been tried before has a better chance to heal itself.