• mwguy@infosec.pub
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    9 months ago

    A more powerful democracy leads to more centralization. Because a more powerful democracy is a more powerful government. When you increase the size and scope of the things that a central government can control you by definition increase it’s power.

    • deaf_fish
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      9 months ago

      A larger government doesn’t mean that power is centralized in that government. Power centralization depends on who has and is wielding power. With an authoritarian government, the power is centralized to a very few number of people. The power in a democratic government is spread amongst the people which makes it very decentralized. The government may be big or small, but that doesn’t really matter in terms of power.

      • mwguy@infosec.pub
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        9 months ago

        A “stronger democracy” at least in the context of modern Republics does mean a stronger central government; especially when implemented from a Western “Liberal” party. The thing is, in that these systems the choice isn’t (or at least Pre-Trump wasn’t) between a dictator and a democracy. It was a decision between federalization and centralization. Between limitations on a legislative branch of government or mob rule.

        Strong Democracies gave us things like Jim Crow. Strong power delegation gave us things like Brown vs. Board of Education.

        • deaf_fish
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          9 months ago

          Not necessarily, there is nothing saying that a strong democracy will result in a big government. Just like there is nothing preventing authoritarians from having a big government.

          I will agree though, if you are authoritarian, you probably don’t want a big government, it is just easier to threaten and enact violence against your people to get the outcomes you want. Likewise with a democracy creating state structures to help get peoples needs met gives you a higher chance of getting reelected.

          • mwguy@infosec.pub
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            9 months ago

            Not necessarily, there is nothing saying that a strong democracy will result in a big government. Just like there is nothing preventing authoritarians from having a big government.

            In theory, maybe that’s true. But that’s not the intention, design or historical reality of the situation.

            I will agree though, if you are authoritarian, you probably don’t want a big government, it is just easier to threaten and enact violence against your people to get the outcomes you want.

            Maybe but you definitely don’t want a heavily Federalized government. Federalization always diminishes the power of a central government.

            • deaf_fish
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              9 months ago

              Federalization always diminishes the power of a central government.

              What do you mean by this?

              In general I prefer decentralized power. The fewer people with power leads to bad outcomes. People become expendable.