True - the one big objection to democracy is that people often end up choosing between ways to make the rich richer rather than to level the playing field.
The Athenians realised if you had a true democracy you would need prosperity or the average voter would bring the state and economy down.
The reason people vote agenised there interests is all a result of capturing someone's imagination.
The dream that everyone can be a millionaire in the US, is one.
And in Toronto Mayor Rob Ford captured the imagination and got the average Torontonian to vote agenised there interests with these 4 words: "Stop the Gravy train"