1. Ruler selection processes

Throughout the world, three types of ruler selection processes are currently used to put rulers into power.  

1. Hereditary selection processes – rulers inherit their positions of authority to rule or inherit the right to be selected by other aristocracy with no choice by the people

2. Dictatorial selection processes – one or a few individuals choose the rulers with no choice by the people

3. Democratic election processes – the people elect the rulers through fair and honest elections

Each of these three types of ruler selection processes may be designed or performed differently from country to country. In addition, a particular government may use more than one type of selection process for different levels or branches within their government structure.

A. Hereditary selection processes

 Monarchies with inherited power have ruled most of the world throughout history until modern times. Monarchies include a noble or aristocratic upper class with most of the wealth. Until around 1900, they dominated politics throughout Europe including Britain, Germany, Austria, and Russia, and throughout most of the rest of the world including Asia.

Due to our revolution against England and despite the best efforts of Nathaniel Gorham and Alexander Hamilton to bring a king from Europe to rule us, the US has never had a hereditary selection process.

However, sometimes a hereditary process is used outside of monarchies to select the ruler regardless of the declared form. For example, North Korea has three political parties, the Workers Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Chondoist Chongu Party. North Korea has elections every 4 or 5 years for the top officials. According to their constitution, North Korea's parliament could remove Kim Jong-un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, from power by a majority vote. The country has a representative, republic structure like the United States.

However, when we look at the actual selection process, North Korea uses hereditary selection. The same occurs in some other countries in Asia as well even though they present as republics. The Kim family has ruled as dictators in North Korea for three generations. Kim has complete control over all the political parties, over every elected official, and over everyone in the country. No one dares challenge his rule.

North Korea reports that 100% of the people vote and that they all vote for Kim. North Korea may have elections, but an article from BBC News explains that ballots in North Korea only have one name and no box to check. You are handed the ballot and you put it into the ballot box. [1] Therefore, while North Korea declares a democratic election process, in practice its ruler selection process is hereditary.

Hereditary selection processes are not solutions

Nothing in the hereditary selection process would be of benefit to us, the people. To the contrary, throughout history hereditary selection has given the elite few the power to own the wealth and to rule for their benefit over the masses. Any type of hereditary selection would violate our solution requirements.

B. Dictatorial selection processes

Dictatorial selection processes enable a single person or a few individuals to select the rulers. Regardless of whether the resulting rulers are harmful or beneficial to the country, the process chooses the rulers without consent of or input from the people. For example, China elects its top rulers through votes by the officials of the Communist Party, not through votes by the people. Every five years about 2,300 delegates from the Communist Party meet behind closed doors and elect the Central Committee of about 200 members. The Central Committee then elects the Politburo with 24 members and the General Secretary (equivalent to their country's president). Regardless of the vote, many of those selected for the Politburo and the General Secretary are handpicked by the few in control and the committee votes as instructed. [2] Political parties actually choose the rulers in many countries, whether it is part of the official process or not.

Dictatorial selection processes would not resolve the root cause of our political issues. They give the few control over the many with no recourse by the many.

C. Democratic selection processes

Democratic selection processes allow the people to choose their rulers through elections. As we have discussed, the power elite and political parties first choose the candidates for the ballot, so elections are somewhere between dictatorial and free. Because political parties make the key government decisions, elections actually put a party into power, not individual politicians.

Family dynasties sometimes influence elections as well. Even free societies often elect members of the same elite, wealthy family in national political roles. US examples are the Roosevelts, the Kennedys, and the Bushes. The Nehru/Gandhi family in India served as Prime Ministers of India for 8 terms over three generations. Singapore has had only 3 Prime Ministers in its 56 years as a sovereign country and two of those were father and son. In Malaysia, 3 out of 9 Prime Ministers were relatives or in-laws of the same clan and a family member has served in the cabinet of 8 of the 9 administrations including the current one. [3]

It's interesting that in all of these dynastic examples, the people elected the rulers in free and open elections. Or did they? In each of these situations, the family's influence with the political party determined their eligibility to be on the ballot or to be appointed to a high government position. Wealth earns political advantages in every country, regardless of whether the wealthy family runs for office themselves or finances their agents and whether the elections are declared to be free and democratic.

Democratic election processes are not solutions

Our root cause is enabled by the democratic election process that allows the political parties to control the candidates and to become the government when they have the majority. The only participation by the people is when they vote for one of the predetermined candidates or for their political party every few years.

The resulting problems occur not only in the US, but also in almost every other system that selects rulers by election. The political divide between the right and the left under representative governments is increasing globally.

Dramatic change is needed according to most people

While a majority of voters may elect a political party to power, a majority of citizens are seldom satisfied with the results of their representatives' actions and decisions. In a survey in March 2021 by the Pew Research Center, 67% of the people in the US believed that most politicians are corrupt. [4] In a later survey published in October 2021, 85% of US respondents said, "the political system needs to be completely reformed/needs major changes." [5] Those numbers provide a strong citizen consensus that selecting rulers through elections doesn't meet our needs regardless of the political party in control.

Key takeaway: No current ruler selection processes are useful for us to solve the root cause.