Democracy

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Democracy is a system of government by which political sovereignty is retained by the people and either exercised directly by citizens or through their elected representatives. It is derived by from the Greek δημοκρατία , "popular government" which was coined from δήμος (dēmos), "people" and κράτος (kratos), "rule, strength" in the middle of the 5th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens. In political theory, democracy describes a small number of related forms of government and also a political philosophy. Even though there is no universally accepted definition of 'democracy', there are two principles that any definition of democracy is required to have. The first principle is that all members of the society have equal access to power and the second that all members enjoy universally recognised freedoms and liberties. There are several varieties of democracy, some of which provide better representation and more freedoms for... full article at wikipedia

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Anyone who knows history, particularly the history of Europe, will, I think, recognize that the domination of education or of government by any one particular religious faith is never a happy arrangement for the people.	Eleanor Roosevelt
Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values.	Barack Obama
Democracy is the menopause of Western society, the Grand Climacteric of the body social. Fascism is its middle-aged lust.	Jean Baudrillard
Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.	Oscar Wilde
It is the American vice, the democratic disease which expresses its tyranny by reducing everything unique to the level of the herd.	Henry Miller
Nor is the people's judgment always true: the most may err as grossly as the few.	John Dryden
Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.	George Bernard Shaw
Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.	John Adams
There is a limit to the application of democratic methods. You can inquire of all the passengers as to what type of car they like to ride in, but it is impossible to question them as to whether to apply the brakes when the train is at full speed and accident threatens.	Leon Trotsky
I talk democracy to these men and women. I tell them that they have the vote, and that theirs is the kingdom and the power and the glory. I say to them You are supreme: exercise your power. They say, That's right: tell us what to do; and I tell them. I say Exercise our vote intelligently by voting for me. And they do. That's democracy; and a splendid thing it is too for putting the right men in the right place.	George Bernard Shaw
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