The whole point of organizing your government based on the rule of law is to ensure high levels of competence, continuity, and stability.
The eternal problem faced in crafting an agreement about the rules we're all going to live by is how to keep those who would benefit only some (or one) from taking control at the expense of everyone else.
Keeping in mind that NO structure yet imagined or invented can ensure complete equity, how do you nevertheless maximize equity in the larger context over longer time horizons?
The rule of law, rather than the rule of either "A Brilliant Leader" or "The Hereditary Entitled" or even "Leaders As Much Like Me As Possible", is the only way yet invented that even comes close.
It is simple to set up, but incredibly difficult to maintain:
1. Find consensus about what matters to the greatest number of those who will live under this system - the 'values' of the government.
2. Create a backbone legal structure or document that codifies those values at the highest level (in our case, a Constitution).
3. Create a code of laws that operationalize that structure and the values represented.
4. Create a mechanism to maintain and update #s 2 and 3, that is consistent with #1 (most efficient to include this in #2 - as is the case in our Constitution.)
No matter how carefully this is undertaken, those who will wish to steer the rules in the direction of "more benefit to me and people like me at the cost of benefits to people who don't matter/are not like me" will always be working to subvert the system to their ends.
In order to make it work over the long haul, a system like this is absolutely dependent on the maintenance of consensus for #1, and competence and dedication in carrying out #3 and #4.
In order to maintain that consensus and nurture that competence and dedication, the polity must ensure the ongoing communication of those values, and the education and reward for those who serve it selflessly.
And that is where we are failing massively.
sadly,
Bright
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