The woes of Italy

[neverfail]

That's why the wise Greeks decided that people would be chosen for office by lottery, and could only stay in office once in their life, for the period of one year... No better system has ever been designed...

It still did not save Athens from initiating an ill-advised, disastrous war against Syracuse that brought about its undoing.

[Sertorio]

That's why the wise Greeks decided that people would be chosen for office by lottery, and could only stay in office once in their life, for the period of one year... No better system has ever been designed...

It still did not save Athens from initiating an ill-advised, disastrous war against Syracuse that brought about its undoing.

Funnily enough, the strategoi - the military commanders - were elected, being one of only two positions in Athens which would be filled by election...

[Jim the Moron]

No, never fail. Populism means promising popular policies regardless whether it is good for the people.

Who decides what is "good" for the people? Intellectualy superior people like you?...

That's why the wise Greeks decided that people would be chosen for office by lottery, and could only stay in office once in their life, for the period of one year... No better system has ever been designed...

That's a terrible system. No wonder Greek democracy failed.

I think where a "jury" approach might help would be as an additional check on a legislature, wherein a board of randomly selected citizens can veto legislation, but not propose it.

In ancient Greece it could.

"I would rather be governed by the first 2000 names in the Boston phone book than by the 2000 members of the faculty of Harvard University." (William F. Buckley, Jr.)

[neverfail]

"I would rather be governed by the first 2000 names in the Boston phone book than by the 2000 members of the faculty of Harvard University." (William F. Buckley, Jr.)

Good one!