Written by Frank Li
The interminable 2020 Presidential election is over, finally! Regardless of the final tally, here are two easily predictable futures for America:
- If President Trump is re-elected, America will continue on the path of wreaking havoc and self-destruction, with tens of thousands, if not millions, more Americans dying of Covid-19 along the way.
- If Joe Biden becomes the President, America will have a chance to contain Covid-19, with the system back to 2016, at best, because of the need of undoing Trump’s damage.
Neither is good, but President Biden will obviously be far better than President Trump!
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1. Why is Donald Trump the President now?
America is deeply in trouble. “We the People” simply do not know what to do, other than periodically casting our vote of “no confidence” to elect someone, anyone, very different to be the President – first Barack Obama, then Donald Trump.
Unfortunately, President Trump does not seem to have worked out, either …
2. Covid-19
Most voters are short-sighted, with nothing being more urgent than Covid-19. So, Covid-19 was undoubtedly the #1 issue in this election.
Covid-19 has revealed what America really is: a country with a government no better than that in 1918, at least in terms of handling a pandemic (1918 flu pandemic)!
In contrast, here are two far more advanced countries:
- Taiwan: Taiwan hits record 200 days with no local COVID-19 cases.
- South Korea: Covid-19: What can we learn from South Korea’s response?
What about China, with 1.3 billion people, where the virus was first detected?
Three informative readings:
- IMF says China to be the only economy with positive growth in 2020.
- Singapore to allow in visitors from mainland China ahead of travel bubble with Hong Kong. Yes, China has almost zero case now!
- Coronavirus: China ‘not headed for second wave’ despite new surge around the world. This is what a real civilization looks like!
Oh, in case you have not noticed, these countries are all parts of East Asian Civilizations!
A coincidence?
No!
They are truly more advanced societies! Two notes:
- Culture is just as important as the government, at least in terms of handling a pandemic. All these eastern Asian countries are mostly Confucian, culturally!
- Governance is everything.
3. Governance
Governance is hard.
Has not America solved the problem by adopting democracy (Democracy – ‘End of History’, Really?)?
No, not at all!
4. Democracy
Democracy is a proven failure throughout human history without a single example of lasting success!
It was for this reason, chiefly, that the Founding Fathers built America as a [representative] republic, precluding democracy!
Bottom line: The word “democracy” is not in the US Constitution!
Unfortunately, America has morphed itself into a democracy (i.e. one person, one vote) over the past 200 years (America: Towards a Tyranny of the Majority?), in danger of losing the last safe-guard against it: The Electoral College (Sen. Elizabeth Warren Calls to Abolish the Electoral College).
As a matter of fact, American history is actually a history of “voting rights vs. voter suppression”.
What a dumb and wasteful experimentation of more than 200 years!
Two images below explain it.
In other words, meritocracy is everything.
For example, the voting rights based on property ownership without any discrimination against race or gender should have been the first step of improvement in America’s renewed experimentation of democracy after 1789.
A next step?
A more advanced system like China has (The U.S. vs. China: Meritocracy), perhaps?
Bottom line: In terms of having a functional government, today’s America is far worse than it was 200 years ago, which was terribly bad, especially the part on slavery!
Now, whom to blame?
The Founding Fathers, especially Thomas Jefferson (a la “All men are created equal”)!
For more, read: Correctly Assessing Thomas Jefferson (Version 2).
5. Democracy and America
Now, you are really confused – Why is America so successful over the past 200 years?
America is successful largely because of unfretted capitalism and rugged individualism, despite democracy!
In other words, America has been practically governance-less for the past 200 years.
Three recent events (i.e. COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Killing of George Floyd, and Shooting of Jacob Blake) have made it abundantly clear.
Below is a significant perspective of today’s America.
More profoundly, western [liberal] democracy is actually a lie!
Western democracy was built on top of capitalism (Okay), colonialism (not Okay), and imperialism (not Okay), without which it has failed everywhere else (e.g. Egypt and Iraq), without exception!
For more, read: History 2.0 (Version 2)
6. Solutions for America?
6.1. A short-term solution
For more, read my book shown below (Section 7).
6.2 A long-term solution
Developing a meritocracy throughout the society, which gradually replaces more “elections” with more “selections”!
For more, read: The U.S. vs. China: Election vs. Selection.
7. Discussion
Democracy (i.e. one person, one vote) is hopeless, and voting is overrated!
Okay, I get it – Churchill also said this (image below).
The truth is some quotes are perpetual (e.g. Churchill quote #1 above), while others are temporary (e.g. Churchill quote #2 above).
Why is quote #2 above temporary?
China!
China has come out with a new form of government that has proven to be better than democracy, however slightly!
In a 2-hiker world, all one hiker needs to do, when chased by a hungry grizzly, is to run a bit faster than the other hiker.
For more, read: Towards an Ideal Form of Government (Version 4).
America, reform our failing political system, as I have suggested (American Democracy – Why is it failing & how to fix it?), or become a fiddle, second to China!
8. Closing
Once again, voting is overrated!
America, learn from China, the greatest civilization in human history!
Now, please sit back and enjoy the video below.
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