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Comment by Mouvelie | Hacker News Reader

I feel like growing up is realizing that the government is just a big gang. They do what they want and will enforce with menace what they want. They can change the rules, take your stuff and it ain't stealing because they said so. Sigh.

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I recognized it in the opposite direction, after observing that gangs inevitably end up being quasi-states within their turf. They demonstrate almost everything I associate with statehood except for issuing their own currency. From there, the reverse (that governments are just big gangs) also flows naturally.

To your point: gangs of various stripes pay blood money to the families of fallen members; they also fund or support community programs to curry good favor.

My takeaway though is that human societies abhor a power vacuum: no matter what my libertarian and ultraliberal friends imagine, there must be a strongman. At least with democracy, we have the opportunity to somewhat influence who that is.

On the other hand you get to vote who is in the gang. So choose wisely.

Most of the people on the planet don't get to vote.

Unfortunately. It looks like even 25 years ago over 50% lived in democracies, but the rise of autocracy recently is certainly depressing.

You only get two options for each vote, and there is no reason that one or both of the options would need to be aware of or be in favor of an acceptable solution to the given problem. In fact, the chance of that happening is vanishingly small.

I vote in the primaries and the general election. In the former there are a lot more than 2 options. You’re aware primaries exist, right?

You used to get to vote. It doesn't work like that anymore.

Please explain to me how I don’t get to vote any more.

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