Widespread faith in democracy is on the decline. The autocrat, after all, can make needed changes quickly and without interference. Unfortunately, the autocrat can be wrong.
A democracy is slower to act and less prone to catastrophic mistakes.
Sadly, autocracy is sometimes the result of a terrible democratic failure.
After major American upheavals, the country has perceived a need for new laws. New, sometimes transformational, laws were enacted after the Civil War, the 1929 stock market crash, World War II, Watergate, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis.
Assuming that Donald Trump’s presidency ends in a conventional election in which Republicans are decisively defeated—admittedly, not a sure thing—what new laws (and repeal of existing laws) will be necessary?
I find it distressing that some people who feel that the government is not working for them believe that scrapping our democratic institutions and being ruled by a dictator is a rational alternative. It is not; it is a pact with the devil. Unfortunately, many of our so-called democratic institutions are not all that democratic. Read my suggestions for enhancing our democracy in my essay We Need More Democracy.
I made a list of my favorite movies the other day, and it struck me that it would be interesting to compare my list with movie lists of friends. I am calling friends with similar lists cinema companions. Actually, I don’t expect to find people with a very similar list, but comparing lists is a good way to identify serious movie lovers. You can find my own list and some thoughts about lists and comparing lists here.
