The point of electoral government is people's right to govern themselves, not the superiority of their decisions.
In the U.S. we mediate "democracy" through a republican government of divided and checked powers to guard against the dangers of any unified and unchecked political power. But the point of all that is to secure that right to self-government, not thwart it.
That may have been the intent but the reality is that the poor stay poor and the rich now dominate resulting in a government that is increasingly dominant and intrusive.
Consequently, you lose unless you happen to be one of the few in charge.
the reality is that the poor stay poor and the rich now dominate
That's just not accurate at all. You can still go to college and "make it" into middle class America, even if you come from a poor background. You can also go the entrepreneurial route and make it into rich America.
resulting in a government that is increasingly dominant and intrusive.
That is the case, but it results from cultural philosophy, not from "the rich dominating".
In the U.S. we mediate "democracy" through a republican government of divided and checked powers to guard against the dangers of any unified and unchecked political power. But the point of all that is to secure that right to self-government, not thwart it.