T/F: The U.S. is a democracy

[The T]

The United States is not a Democracy in the way the word is used. When used alone it generally means a pure democracy, one person one vote on ALL issues. Go ahead and explain how we practice THAT.

We are a Republic that elects our Representatives and we grant , via the Constitution, what power they wield. This includes appointing Judges, creating and repealing laws , creating treaties and running the Government free from public votes.

A nation of laws, not of men.

Laws that are for sale if you have enough money.

The entire Gubmint guilty of it to boot.

 

[Steelplate]

A nation of laws, not of men.

Laws that are for sale if you have enough money.

The entire Gubmint guilty of it to boot.

You are right... but so are the people with the money.... that's the part you miss.

 

[Amelia]

the word democracy does not mean the same as direct or pure democracy.


and it is not used that way in the US as far as i can tell.

or you are trying to spread pure democracy in the world, which is bullshit in oh so many ways.

Obviously we're not a pure democracy. But we're at least as much a democracy as Obama is a socialist. (lol)

We don't have majority rule in all things since we have safeguards in place to protect minorities and to protect the nation from too quick of changes in any direction. But I don't think it makes a lot of sense to quibble with people who say we are a democracy. (I've done the quibbling on occasion in the past, but I don't think I'll be doing so in the future.)

 

[LoneLaugher]

Words have meanings. Moreover, they mean different things to different people. And....their meaning often changes over time.

It is not ( as some people would have you believe ) incorrect to describe our form of government as "democratic".

 

[ladyliberal]

First, I would note that this seems to be entirely a matter of semantics-- no one seems to disagree about the actual mechanics of US government.

The US is a democracy by the common, the technical, and the original meanings of the word. Ordinary people, textbooks, and news reports refer to the US as a democracy. No one understands that to mean that the people reign supreme without ceding any sovereign power to elected representatives. The US is also a republic, and it is not a "pure" democracy, but to claim that the US is not a democracy is simply false. It often surprises me to see what is controversial on this board.

 

[AVG-JOE]

What difference does the label make? It either works for the community or it doesn't.

 

[Conservative]

ThisNation.com--Is the United States a democracy?
Is the United States a democracy?

The Pledge of Allegiance includes the phrase: "and to the republic for which it stands." Is the United States of America a republic? I always thought it was a democracy? What's the difference between the two?

The United States is, indeed, a republic, not a democracy. Accurately defined, a democracy is a form of government in which the people decide policy matters directly--through town hall meetings or by voting on ballot initiatives and referendums. A republic, on the other hand, is a system in which the people choose representatives who, in turn, make policy decisions on their behalf. The Framers of the Constitution were altogether fearful of pure democracy. Everything they read and studied taught them that pure democracies "have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths" (Federalist No. 10).

By popular usage, however, the word "democracy" come to mean a form of government in which the government derives its power from the people and is accountable to them for the use of that power. In this sense the United States might accurately be called a democracy. However, there are examples of "pure democracy" at work in the United States today that would probably trouble the Framers of the Constitution if they were still alive to see them. Many states allow for policy questions to be decided directly by the people by voting on ballot initiatives or referendums. (Initiatives originate with, or are initiated by, the people while referendums originate with, or are referred to the people by, a state's legislative body.) That the Constitution does not provide for national ballot initiatives or referendums is indicative of the Framers' opposition to such mechanisms. They were not confident that the people had the time, wisdom or level-headedness to make complex decisions, such as those that are often presented on ballots on election day.

By popular usage, is TM's problem here (among many others we are all aware of)...

By popular usage, the word Jacuzzi has come to mean any hot tub... but it really only means Jacuzzi brand hot tubs. Not all hot tubs are Jacuzzis, but all Jacuzzis are hot tubs.

 

[BluePhantom]

Hell no we are not a Democracy, we're a Republic. If we were a Democracy Obamacare would have never passed.

 

[Dragon]

It's not simply a matter of semantics.

It's noteworthy that those who claim the U.S. is not a democracy (or "a republic, not a democracy" as if there was no such thing as a democratic republic or representative democracy) are just about all conservatives. I believe the claim is code for an agenda of aristocracy.

One can see this from what such people often accompany their claim with. "A democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what's for dinner" is a common one. Of course, sheep always outnumber wolves, but what they mean is that the poor may, in a democracy, vote for the rich to forcibly share their wealth. It's also common to quote Franklin about people voting themselves funds from the treasury.

The fear, then, is that democracy will result in leveling, income redistribution, and the loss of the privileges of the rich and powerful. And that is in fact a realistic fear.

In the end, there are only three types of government: monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. Monarchy is rule by one, the king or dictator. Aristocracy is rule by the privileged few. Democracy is rule by the people. Those who are distrustful of democracy want either aristocracy or monarchy. Among American conservatives, it is usually aristocracy that is preferred, not monarchy.

If we were a Democracy Obamacare would have never passed.

True. We'd have a single-payer system instead.

 

[Zoom-boing]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIcOfu6Udec]Basic forms of government and what they mean. - YouTube[/ame]

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Article IV - The States

Section 4 - Republican government

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

 

[The T]

Article IV - The States

Section 4 - Republican government

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

!

 

[BluePhantom]

If we were a Democracy Obamacare would have never passed.

True. We'd have a single-payer system instead.

Perhaps, perhaps not. The point is that the majority of Americans opposed Obamacare. On what basis they opposed it is irrelevant. The fact is the government passed it over the will of the people. Well....you can pitch democracy right out the window at that point.

 

[Dragon]

If we were a Democracy Obamacare would have never passed.

True. We'd have a single-payer system instead.

Perhaps, perhaps not. The point is that the majority of Americans opposed Obamacare. On what basis they opposed it is irrelevant. The fact is the government passed it over the will of the people. Well....you can pitch democracy right out the window at that point.

I'm not arguing with that. I didn't answer the poll "yes." Unfortunately, we don't. In the case of health-care reform, the government did the bidding of the health-insurance industry for the most part, not that of the people.

 

[old navy]

Read some of the writings of those old white men sometime.

Madison's Federalist No. 10 applies here.

 

[Jackson]

Read some of the writings of those old white men sometime.

Madison's Federalist No. 10 applies here.

They were certainly some old wise men!

 

[old navy]

Read some of the writings of those old white men sometime.

Madison's Federalist No. 10 applies here.

They were certainly some old wise men!

Very wise.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

In case some missed it the Constitution specifically states what type of Government we are supposed to have.

 

[The T]

Read some of the writings of those old white men sometime.

Madison's Federalist No. 10 applies here.

They were certainly some old wise men!

Very wise.

But to many? We are told that there is no way to tell thier intent, especially with Statists here on these boards...they have never read the Federalists/Anti-Federalists.

 

[The T]

In case some missed it the Constitution specifically states what type of Government we are supposed to have.

Some of here understand it and silly us thought that even the Statists on the board did too and were being disingenuous...