Alexa CanoPSC 101Robert O'MearaMar. 14, 2014Democracy Final PaperDemocracy is the form of government most citizens desire, but is it the right decision? It is said to be "governed by the people" and allows for the representation and inclusion of as many people and points of view as possible (Shah, 2012), but we live in a society where the majority does not make its voice heard and is instead governed by the rich? Democracies may seem like the best option to have, inclusive of all its citizens, but it is not perfect either, with all its flaws and shortcomings, including political and economic inequalities, voter suppression laws, the impact that money has had on politics and even on political culture. that occur within our government. Is running a government still the best choice or are there more suitable alternatives? What is democracy and why has it become America's best form of government? According to Robert A. Dahl, author of On Democracy, a democracy offers opportunities for effective participation, equality in voting, the acquisition of enlightened understanding, the exercise of ultimate control over the agenda, and the inclusion of all adults (p. 37). Democracy does not mean human rights, it does not mean the absence of censorship, it does not mean elections of any kind, but it means power (kratos) of the people (demos) (Castoriadis, 2002). It is made up of a group of members who share similar goals despite their different points of view on certain issues and who must represent the public and its beliefs. Every adult citizen of our country is entitled to all the same rights and privileges as everyone else, and without these opportunities voters and members will not be politically equal. As Dahl stated in chapter 5 of his book, “demo… middle of the paper… it is unclear whether the costs of democracy will be fully taken into account when decisions are moved internationally and to also strengthen accountability and cultural diversity will continue to increase as more and more immigrants continue to move to America. Finally, when it comes to enlightened understanding, citizens receive formal education to become familiar with the workings of government, but lately the level that citizens need to be informed has been reduced to a more easily achievable level and voters will now have less need to understand every political issue (p. 185). Dahl concludes that perhaps if democratic countries were able to overcome these challenges, then they could indeed transform themselves into an advanced democracy, but for a democracy to survive, citizens must also be supportive of the practices, values, ideas and beliefs of the democracy..