It's never how it works. See, we get a century or so of dictatorships, with each new guy overthrowing the previous and promising to be better, and failing to be.

Somewhere along the line (because for some reason we won't do this in advance) intellectuals will in secret start developing some rules for a public-run government (democracy or sortition are popular), but no political leader or revolutionary leader will be actually willing to try them (because they like the power), until absolutely everyone is tired of the wars and coups because absolutely everyone has close friends and relatives they had to put into the cold ground.

And then the new Communist / Socialist / Anarchist / Whatever United States will rise, since the point is to be able to change the rules without someone shooting someone else.

Which is what happens when either the legislature, executive or courts collapse into corruption and seize power. The four boxes of liberty are a warning the first three (soapbox, ballot box, jury box) are all that keep the ammunition box closed and unused.

load more comments (99 replies)