Democracy

We love the word “democracy” in this country. We sing it in anthems, shout it at foreign enemies, and slap it onto every war like a moral band-aid. But if democracy means a government by the people, for the people—well, let’s just say we’re running a very different operating system.

The U.S. isn’t a democracy. Not really. Not functionally. We have the branding, but not the product.

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Let’s break it down.

1. Your Vote Doesn’t Count—At Least Not Equally

We’re taught to believe in “one person, one vote.” But the truth is more like: one person, one vaguely counted suggestion—weighted by geography, manipulated by district lines, and often tossed if inconvenient.

• The Electoral College means a voter in Wyoming has four times the influence of a voter in California.
• The Senate gives 600,000 people in Wyoming the same power as 40 million Californians. That’s not representation. That’s math malpractice.
• Gerrymandering lets state lawmakers pick their voters instead of the other way around. It’s legal fraud with a ruler.

This isn’t just bad design. It’s a feature.

2. Minority Rule Is the Norm, Not the Exception

We’ve had multiple presidents in the last 25 years who lost the popular vote. We have a Supreme Court stocked by presidents who lost the popular vote, confirmed by senators who represent a minority of the country.

If you’re keeping score:

• Majority of Americans want abortion to remain legal? Too bad.
• Majority want stricter gun laws? Sorry, lobbyists said no.
• Majority support higher taxes on the rich? Guess who funds the campaigns.

This isn’t a government responding to the people. It’s a government responding to the donor class, the lobbyists, and a very loud minority with nostalgia for powdered wigs and muskets.

3. You Don’t Choose Your Leaders—You Choose from the Chosen

Every election cycle we get “choices” between two deeply entrenched parties, both funded by the same financial elite. We have more billionaires than ballot access.

Try running as an independent. Try getting on the debate stage. Hell, try getting through a primary without kissing some Super PAC’s ring. You’ll find out how democratic things really are.

4. The System Is Designed to Protect Itself

Congress is full of millionaires legislating on behalf of billionaires. And if you challenge that too directly, you’ll meet the real backbone of the system: laws, courts, and a security apparatus that has no problem turning its tools inward.

We send more people to prison per capita than any other country. We surveil activists. We criminalize poverty. And we call it freedom.

5. The Myth Is the Message

So why do we keep calling it a democracy?

Because the illusion is useful. It keeps people calm. It gives them a ritual: vote, vent, repeat. It gives cable news something to dramatize. And it gives politicians a shield to hide behind when they deliver results nobody asked for.

Final Thought

We’re not living in a democracy. We’re living in a managed system of elite control with democratic window dressing. Call it a plutocratic oligarchy. Call it corporate feudalism. But don’t call it a democracy—unless you’re trying to sell it to someone.

If you found this uncomfortable but accurate, share it with a friend. If you found it unpatriotic, I invite you to check your property taxes, your ballot access, and your ability to get health care without a GoFundMe.

More at JosephZeigler.substack.com.
Comments welcome. Rants encouraged.

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