A beginning to political theory

What falls under the scope of "political philosophy"?

1.  How polilticians and officeholders should behave.

2.  What is the fairest way to select officeholders?

3.  What method of selecting officeholders is most likely to produce the best?

4.  Who should get the franchise, or whether there even should be a franchise?

5.  Are hereditary positions better or worse, under what conditions?

6.  How does a system prevent its being taken over by brutal leaders and turned into a dictatorship?

7  What forms of corruption (not just bribes but also political dealing and "bacon" voting can be allowed and how does a system prevent it?

8.  What constitutes a special insterest and how can their influence be controlled or eliminated?

9.  What to do about political parties and other forms of political alliance?

10.  Do people actually have certain "inalianable" rights and if so what are they and how does one spell out exceptions when these are needed?

11.  Is freedom a desirable thing in itself or just a useful theory or should it be igored?

12.  Much the same with justice or fairness in how governments function.

13.  Is democracy a good thing or a mistake or something in between?

I'm sure I've missed a few issues, but these are the ones I think important and I intend to address them in subsequent blogs from time to time.