convervatives do not have the votes to live in a direct democracy

Things change

In a small one sure

In a big one hell no

And we live in a big country

I'll use China as a comparison since it's the one I'm most experienced with.

Can you or I become president in the US? No. We need connections, money etc

What do you need to become president in China? Appointment by the CPC Standing Committee, who is elected by the National People's Congress, who are elected by lower People's Congresses and so on down to the smallest level at the neighborhood district or village

In other words. Money and connections.

You have to be a party member to do anything in china

thats no an election

they give you options that fit their needs for power, not your needs

A member of one of eight parties

Yes, it's a multiparty democracy

right, as long as you are communist

You can't tell me the communists are maintaining power because the people enjoy it

Or Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang

China Democratic League, China Association for Promoting Democracy, Taiwan Democratic Self Government League, and more

All legal parties on the mainland

legal doesn't mean they have any real power

if they had any real power china wouldn't remain communist

there were other parties in nazi germany, didn't see any of them actually do anything useful

Nazi Germany actually banned all other parties

All of those parties hold seats in government

And believe me those people do not want to topple their government

Now I'm not saying it's an actual free country or anything

I'm arguing as if it is, for a reason

Problems in the 60s/70s aside. It's very safe. Most people are educated, employed, and well-fed.

except for the political and religious dissidents being shipped off

Political dissidents, meaning Muslims who make jihadist statements

Do you know for sure those are the only ones being carted away?

Here I'll give you some background

Since I don't think we have actually talked here before

I'm a cop in America. Army vet. Still young.

We live in a nation where 7 years ago, the government signed into law the ability to indefinately detain american citizens just based on "suspicion" of terrorism or anything else to make uncle sam look at you funny. Granted it wasn't in law long, but it did happen

My wife is from China. Her father was a colonel in the police. Her mom is a school principal.

Uncles, grandpas etc all soldiers. One cousin is a traffic cop I think.

There is no draft. Anyone who ever said so, is lying. Every soldier is a volunteer and it's fairly competitive to get recruited.

They're all proud of their country, fiercely patriotic, very loyal

I'm the first white man to sit down at their table, get drunk, and talk politics

Everyone else was drunk too