Our democracy can learn from China’s meritocracy

The Conversation ^ | 6JAN2016 | Mark Chou

[vannrox]

Hostage to the whims of self-interested voters and populist politicians, democratic politics has been likened to a ship of fools.

Many may still see China as an “authoritarian” country. But Bell indicates that measures like these assure citizens only the Communist Party’s best and brightest will lead.

In this way, a political meritocracy lives and dies by the political maturity, virtue and achievement of its politicians. Without having to adopt multi-party elections, the Communist Party can thus claim legitimacy based on continued performance.

But while it may be no democracy, China’s meritocratic system isn’t entirely devoid of democratic traits either.

Bell believes that what makes the China model unique is its blend of meritocracy at the central level of government and democracy at the local level. Between these two extremes, bold political experimentation is also encouraged and, where successful, replicated.

[Steely Tom]

But Bell indicates that measures like these assure citizens only the Communist Party’s best and brightest will lead.

Yeah, if there are any jobs left over after every party member gets jobs for his or her kids, grandkids, nephews and nieces, yeah, there'll be an urgent need for the Party's best and brightest.

[ifinnegan]

Utter bs

[Still Thinking]

How good or bright could A Communist be and still be a Communist?

[mrsmith]

Yeah a few million Americans in “reeducation” camps would be great LOL!

The Founders knew the perils of democracy and incorporated it appropriately.
The media has changed to a force they could not have imagined: a unified force controlling the public square. But that is no reason to change what’s right.

Herodotus’ record of Cyrus’s dicusion of governance is so far above this article... really.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Fascism in disguise.

[reg45]

Meritocracy defeats affirmative action any time.

[TigersEye]

In China some people just don't merit living...

[TigersEye]

[Skywise]

Again - another article repurposing meritocracy. There have been many over the past few weeks. This is a planned propaganda campaign to change your thinking - to accept and adopt communism.

[Cobra64]

We are not a democracy. Someone needs to recite the Pledge of Allegiance...

[House Atreides]

Still subtlety pushing the merits of Chinese totalitarianism?

[vannrox]

@cobra64

You should read the article. Its Australian. Not American. Besides...our Republic was short lived. It was a republic for less than fifty years. The 12 and the 17th amendments changed it to a democracy in defiance of the wording in the constitution.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Ahh, trust in a skilled, altruistic bureaucratic elite...how quaint...or something.

[Ransomed]

Voter turnout is like 99% in China. They must be the best democracy in the world.

Freegards

[Zhang Fei]

China, like every other communist dictatorship ever to win power, is an absolute monarchy masquerading as a meritocracy. That is the meaning of the Leninist mode of government - where the Communist Central Committee (i.e. the emperor and his courtiers) “guides” the people via edict. The emperor obviously wants the highest quality courtiers in his regime - so he recruits through imperial examinations. Xi Jinping is a latter-day Yuan Shikai https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuan_Shikai . I look forward to him donning the imperial robes, referring to himself in the third person and finally putting an end to the 70-year-old charade that the Red Dynasty has put on. For one thing, the old-style costumes look a lot better than Mao jackets and the ill-fitting Chinese army jackets that look like repurposed garbage bags.

https://www.history.com/.image/t_share/MTU3ODc4NjAyOTkyMjY0NTIx/image-placeholder-title.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/003-The_Imperial_Portrait_of_a_Chinese_Emperor_called_%22Xianfeng%22.JPG

The traditional Chinese title for the Emperor - the Son of Heaven - sounds a lot more accurate than the nomenklatura appellation of General Secretary, when applied to any of China’s “Communist” Party head honchos, whether Mao, Hua, Deng, Jiang, Hu or Xi.

[vannrox]

@ransomed

Oh. You misunderstand. China is single_party nationalist. There core belief is china first.

[wizwor]

The irony of this assessment is that the problem was known to the Founding Father and addressed in our Constitution. Our Republic is divided into three branches of government -- Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The Legislative branch is divided into two bodies -- the Senate which is consists of two representatives of each state selected by each state and the House of Representatives which consists of members directly elected by 'villages'. The Executive branch includes the President who is elected by other state representatives called Electors chosen by each state. The Judicial branch is appointed by the President with the advise and consent of the appointed Senate.

Until the Seventeenth Amendment (1913), the House of Representatives was the only branch of the government directly representing the 'unwashed masses'. It was intended to ensure The People has a voice in government.

Most would agree that our political system's decline began with the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment.

Remember that when people clamor for the end of the Electoral College and talk about Packing the Supreme Court. The Mob won't be happy until we have mob rule. Will you be happy when the Mob rules?

[kearnyirish2]

Our system of government started to decline when non-taxpayer were given the right to vote (whenever that occurred); the Founding Fathers understood that those contributing nothing shouldn’t determine how the financial contributions of taxpayers should be spent. Today roughly one half of the country seems determined to spend the contributions of the other half on themselves; remember Romney’s 47%?

[Ransomed]

But they vote! I think Australia only has 90% eligible voter turnout and they have compulsory voting, or at least they have to show up at the polls. In China they vote solely for the good of the party they all love in their hearts! Democracy!

Freegards