OPINION:
I share the surprise of most of the world that the British voted to leave the European Union. In fact, I am simply stunned that such a complex decision affecting so many aspects of governance, security and trade was left up to single majority vote by the general public. If the average British voter is anything like the average American voter, he or she knows little about how the machinery of government and global finances actually work — and so is poorly equipped to make such a momentous decision.
Granted, the noble purpose of democracy is governance by the consent of the governed, but that assumes that the consent is based on more than emotions and hunches. As we are experiencing here in America, political ignorance leaves a void that can be exploited by a demagogue playing on irrational fears and stoking the fires of isolating nationalism. Perhaps the Brexit vote will serve as a warning for us as we choose our next president.
BUCK RUTLEDGE
Knoxville, Tenn.
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