There's No Way To Poll This... So I'll Just Ask, And Invite Your Input...

[Shandris]

9. It is human nature to try to be 'better' than someone else; this holds true even in the concept of..

..'of the people, by the people, and for the people'. So from before the moment the first paper was signed, the idea of this kind of governance was already under attack. It was always more of a platitude than a reality in the first place anyways; remember, this speech is coming from the man who didn't really want to see 'all' men equal at all. He didn't want to free the slaves so much as he wanted to affect the Southern war economy. It's just empty talk, although very few people in his day knew that.

No matter how you lace republicanism and democracy, no gathering of people is ever going to be truly, completely concerned for each others needs. There will be those who are true to those words, certainly, but for each of them there is a conniver waiting to usurp their voice. Until you find a way to completely alter fundamental humanity, this will be a problem (and I'm not so sure altering fundamental humanity is such a good idea in the first place, although I'd -love- to modify through teaching some of their more base impulses). It's always been nothing more than a dream, with as much chance of being reality as a dream.

Edit: Note though, that that doesn't mean we just toss our hands up in the air and give up. We do what we can, where we can, when we can. To do any less is, imo, morally repugnant.