Here is how the question went: Could you please tell me if you agree strongly, agree, disagree or disagree strongly, after I read each one of them?
“V163. Democracy may have problems but it's better than any other form of government 1 2 3 4 9
From: http://wvs.isr.umich.edu/ques3.shtml
As a hard core capitalist I would pick number 9 disagree strongly. The absolute worst form of government is a true Democracy, I would honestly prefer communism over a true Democracy. Inglehart chose a question that set it self up to look bad. It seemed to have gone right over R J Rummel head he didn’t get it.
I know what the article is trying to imply but when you put garbage in you get garbage out.
I've been reading some of the SCOTUS decisions related to guns. One of the more recent cases, Muscarello v United States, which had the unlikely scenario of Ginsburg and Souter joining Rehnquist and Scalia in a dissent. There is much ado about the word "carry" or "carries" with the OED, literature, and Congressional Record, as well as a citation from the M*A*S*H television show.
Reading the Justices, one is left with the impression that Congress is careless in the wording of the legislation that they pass.
An earlier case, Lopez v United States, and Justice Thomas' opinion in that case illustrate the opposite--Congress seems incapable of reading plain English and unwilling to be limited by the Constitution's plain text.
I'll hazard that a "democracy" is somewhat less repressive than a "dictatorship" and that in this case, knowing what some here know about Joe Public's ability with signifiers and signified, and that the respondents to the questionaire most likely share the comprehension and understanding of Joe Public.
Anyway, thanks for the exchange.