Democracy: Slipping away through sheer neglect

It can happen. Democracies are lost a little at a time until they are gone. The risks are internal, incremental and cumulative.

Start with our being indifferent to, or even accepting of, the latest machinations and obfuscations emanating from the other Washington.

Accept the daily word salads that are tweeted by a so-called leader who seems to have little understanding of how our democracy works and even less interest in learning how it works.

Applaud his campaign rally rhetoric that a free press is the enemy of the people. Be OK with this person who insults our allies and admires adversarial dictators.

Turn a blind eye to his diverting money from government programs to pay for a campaign promise. Ignore climate change as he does.

If we remain indifferent to these transgressions (and many more) and accept them as the new norm, we may well be on the slippery slope to a more authoritarian form of government. Less of a democracy and more like a dictatorship. Like the ones this leader admires.

Perhaps it’s time to wake up and stop this from happening.

This story was originally published October 24, 2019 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Democracy: Slipping away through sheer neglect."