Hacker News Reader

Comment by nivertech | Hacker News Reader

"Leonis Malburg, the mayor for fifty years, was convicted of voter fraud, conspiracy, and perjury in December 2009." [1]

Wow! Trying to spread democracy in the world, when you have little dictators in your own backyard.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon,_California#Elections_o...

View on HN

So.... you're opposed to democracy if neighbors of its advocates are impure? Or was the mayor one of the advocates spreading it abroad? Maybe they shouldn't have convicted him in order to keep their record clean?

I'm having trouble getting at the meat of your criticism.

The accent was on "the mayor for fifty years".

Local government is still a government. Things like this and the Electoral College make US an archaic democracy. Maybe it's better to fix your own system, before trying to teach others?

The fact that you had a banana republic with a life-long dictator just 5 miles from downtown LA - speaks something.

No criticism, more like a surprise. I don't care about politics and even if I did, I'm from a country which is a strong US ally.

It's notable that when the U.S. tries to help install democracy in other countries they don't attempt to install their own presidential system. Among its flaws is that it is exceedingly difficult to amend.

It's fun but not helpful to pretend other countries are ignorant of their own problems and have monolithic opinions (in which case, why vote?).

Among its strengths is that it is exceedingly difficult to amend.

I think it's clear that the US political system isn't exactly serving the people. Personally, I'd wish for recall elections or 'votes of confidence' for the presidency ... say, to replace the 'State of the Union' mirror.

To be fair, America has no problem with dictators so long as they are supportive dictators.

Like Pinochet? Supported by the US while he tortured the chileans who opposed him?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com