>>15
>Individuals make their own decisions.
And how do they reach a consensus? What if the people are unreasonable savages like those described in a particular thread here about Africa? I know of 2 moderately efficient solutions, democracy and constitutional monarchy respectively.
Good read.
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/leviathan-c.html
"It may seem strange to some man that has not well weighed these things that Nature should thus dissociate and render men apt to invade and destroy one another: and he may therefore, not trusting to this inference, made from the passions, desire perhaps to have the same confirmed by experience. Let him therefore consider with himself: when taking a journey, he arms himself and seeks to go well accompanied; when going to sleep, he locks his doors; when even in his house he locks his chests; and this when he knows there be laws and public officers, armed, to revenge all injuries shall be done him; what opinion he has of his fellow subjects, when he rides armed; of his fellow citizens, when he locks his doors; and of his children, and servants, when he locks his chests. Does he not there as much accuse mankind by his actions as I do by my words? But neither of us accuse man's nature in it. The desires, and other passions of man, are in themselves no sin. No more are the actions that proceed from those passions till they know a law that forbids them; which till laws be made they cannot know, nor can any law be made till they have agreed upon the person that shall make it."
There's also a quote I don't think is in there that I'll just throw in aswell.
"Not believing in force is the same as not believing in gravitation."
Hobbes
>political climate and culture
This composes the vast sum of factors which affect the political system in place, you might actually do better trying to achieve a more libertarian government by starting a succesful chain of career oriented (rather than the apparent teenage daycare focus of state schools) cheap private schools or something.