Zach Jones Democracy Rules!

A true democracy is the best form of government, for government to be effective people need to be allowed to express their opinions freely through rights of voting. In conjunction with a democratic legislature, there should be a legal system to combat crime; a legal system enforced by a democratic government should, in essence, be fair to everybody with no punishment too harsh. An ideal set such as the legalism of Shi Huangdi is much too strict and does not promote freethinking and innovation in the ways a fairer society would. For a civilization to be successful, the success must come from the minds of the people and the work of the people. If these citizens are oppressed then they cannot be innovators and free thinkers; eventually oppression leads to anarchy. A Confucianist mind set, while promoting freethinking and better rights to the people, is too flimsy in enforcement and will also eventually result in rebellions of the lower classes. The hierarchical system of Confucianism, while promising in principle, is just another way to oppress the lowest class of citizens. Even though Confucianism is based on respect of superiors, the people at the bottom will eventually not want to be at the bottom anymore, thus Confucianism doesnt promote the equality of democracy. For a republic to work such as the Roman Republic or the modern American government, faith must be put into elected positions. A republic, while mostly expressing the populous views, can also become corrupt and greedy. If elected officials are granted too much power, a republic can turn into an oligarchy, with highest ranking officials expressing less and less of the peoples views and more of their own. In Romes case, a Republic can turn into a dictatorship when too much trust is put into one individual. Julius Caesar was elected to become a dictator under the condition that he would relinquish his power once there was peace again, however Caesar grew to enjoy the unopposed power and decided instead of reverting back to a Republic that he would declare himself Emperor of Rome. Monarchies are inherently bad for numerous reasons. While the first monarch may be a great ruler, if his lineage is allowed to rule the throne for too many years there are bound to be kings and queens poorly suited for the position. A monarchy does not allow the greatest minds and leaders to become the leaders, simply because they are not born into royalty. Monarchies are easily overthrown and can lose power quickly if left in bad hands. With the aforementioned governments in mind, if we look back at democracy it is easy to understand why a true, voting democracy provides the greatest benefits for each and every citizen. No matter your social standing, each person gets one vote in the matter. A millionaire and a janitor have equal say in a true democracy. Power to the people!