is democracy good?

yes, and we cannot have christian fundamentalist sucking the life out of the constitution either.

Good thing Christian fundamentalists aren't in charge of the country and that isn't happening regardless so....

I'm with Chuchill on this one. I mean, much as we may all complain about the democratic process, I can't think of any other process that has produced a string of relatively stable governments for so long. Admittedly, dictatorships can produce more efficient governments provided the top man is wise and benevolent. In Singapore, our top people have ruled for the past 43-years without anyone questioning their power and right to rule. They've done a good job in ensuring a prosperous, intelligent and hamonious society. However, we've been very lucky because the people at the top have remained intelligent, capable and most importantly un-corrupt. But how long can this state of affairs last? And I think the problem with benevolent autocracies is that people become so trusting or accepting of authority, they flounder when the authority figures become rouges. Singapore is lucky in as much as we have the trappings of the checks and balances of democracy. The ruling party needs to go for an election every 5-years and on paper they can lose elections. As such, they're kept on their toes, though the lack of teeth in some of our institutions can be damaging. Good people in power for too long, can become corrupted. Look at the African continent and to Zimbabwe. The Robert Mugabe who lives in luxury and terrorizes his citizens with violence and intimidation as well as 2 million percent inflation was once a respected peace maker who grew too in-love with his power. How did he get that way? There was no institutional check on him and he surrounded himself with people who always agreed with him - something that does not always happen in a democracy. People who grow up in democratic systems also tend to be more resilient. In South East Asia, the 'messiest' country is the Philippines, which is also the most democratic country in the region. Yet, Filipinos are the most self-reliant people in the region, who travel and seem able to make their living quite comfortably outside their own country. Democracy is not a perfect system. It often prevents an effective leader from getting things done. However, its the best system in keeping the powers that be on their toes and more importantly it makes people more responsible for their own lives rather than relying on a government to run things for them.