Do You Think America is Democratic country?

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   rakubaposted 13 years ago

   Why do you think so?

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      Petra Vlahposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      It all depends what you mean by democratic. America gives the impression of democracy, but it is just an illusive "democracy" at best.

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      qwarkposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      ...we are a "republic."
      We are not a "democracy."
      "I pledge allegiance...and to the republic for which it stands."
      There is a great deal of difference between a "republic" and a democracy."
      Study.

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         Reality Bytesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         You are correct, but the Country is being fundamentally changed!
         
         It starts by teaching democracy in the schools and not explaining the truth of the Republic.

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            qwarkposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Reality:
            We do give lip service to being a democracy.
            I school, when I was young, I was told we are a democracy, yet we stood and mouthed the "Pledge of Allegiance" which clearly announces that we are a republic! WE were young and dumb...you know how that goes...lol
            Most folks don't know the difference 'twixt the 2. I end up explaining that difference because even after reading their definitions, most still do not understand...arghhh..
            WE will never become a democracy...no chance!

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      Christopher Floydposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The United States of America is a democratic republic, both by definition and in practice. I think so because my country was founded with this in mind; democracies degrade into mob rule and republics become monarchies. That's why the U.S. was and is such a novel experiment. Most people swallow what they were taught without looking into it for themselves. We aren't a democracy. We will never be a democracy. Nor will we ever be a republic. We hold strong democratic values - and I don't mean the values of a political party - but we also know that the mob has to be held in check as much as the monarch.
      It saddens me that so many people lament our "lack of democracy" but can't quite grasp the fact that a middle road and an impossible to violate balance of power was the plan all along.

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         qwarkposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Chris:
         Yes! we are a "Democratic  Republic." A "novelty" on this planet of "fools."

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      Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Do you think its not? If not, why not?

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      ediggityposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      No, we are a Constitutional Republic.  Here is a 10 min video that explains the true American form of Government:
      
      http://www.viddler.com/explore/CSC130/videos/25/

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   jjmylesposted 13 years ago

   We have a Constitutional Federation. Not a democracy

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      Jeff Berndtposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      A Constitutional Republic.

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         Jim Hunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Don't confuse them.

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         Petra Vlahposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         The form of government is a Republic, but America keeps on talking about democracy in terms of democratic principles and even wants to export them without implementing such princeples at home first - that I call hypocrisy

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            rakubaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            The forms in which US exports its "democracy" are revolts masteminded by CIA, support corrupted regimes, lies from sponsored media and  NGO, destruction of whole countries. No law would allow them to implement such "democracy" in America. Any revolt which America calls democratic outside US, would be severely suppresed in US, for sure. Would Tiananmen89-like event happen in US, the US govt would kill them all. Would any american state ask for independency as Kosovo or Tibet, there would be war and forget about "democracy" and any rights for independency.

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               Petra Vlahposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               YOU SAID IT: that's exactly what American democracy is all about - hypocrisy at its best

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                  Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Petra, can you think of any countries which have a better government?

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                     Jim Hunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     The one she fled is probably wonderful.

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                        Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        No doubt. That's why she left.

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                     Petra Vlahposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     Ralph,
                     there are plenty of countries with better government
                     
                     Jim,
                     I left my contry fighting the communist regime, and yes, Romania is beautiful in case you did not know

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                        Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        For example? I might agree with you. But I'm curious which ones you think are better.

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                        Jim Hunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        Romania is not a government in case you didn't know.

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                           Petra Vlahposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                           Jim, you don't have to play ignorant and even less should you play cute

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                              Jim Hunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              I can't help that I'm cute.

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                        rakubaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        As far as my experience allows to say that, I do believe, that true democracy is in Japan.

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                           Petra Vlahposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                           And all of the Sacandinavian countries for that matter, but hey, Americans have a hard time accepting they are not the best at everything so let them dream on about "the land of the free"

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                              rakubaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              Yeah, right! And I dont  understand why do they cover their corrupted govt.?
                              Those bunch of criminals in DC dont deserve it.

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                              Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              I'm inclined to agree about the Scandinavian countries. My great grandfather came from Sweden. And, if things keep going the way they are, I might consider moving to Vancouver.

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                                 couturepopcafeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                                 Petra and rakuba - you two are fairly insulting.  It appears as though you are trying to be insulting.  Americans do not cover up their government any more than citizens of any other country cover up.  Maybe Americans do have a difficult time accepting that they may no longer be the standard bearer since they have been so for many years.  Many great nations have given way to newer ways and times.  You two seem to have a chip on your shoulders but I cannot ascertain why.

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                           Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                           My recollection is that there have been several government scandals in Japan. And the U.S. deserves some credit, good or bad, for "assisting" in the establishment of the post-war Japanese government.

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                              Petra Vlahposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              US is "assisting" too much without anyone asking for it. Remember Congo?
                              Remember Iraq? Remmember the Balkan war?

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                                 Jim Hunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                                 If I were you I would pack up and leave this hell hole right away.

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                                    couturepopcafeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                                    Still love you JH. 

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                              Petra Vlahposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              America should "assiste" its own people; the unimployed, the homeless, the veterans, the abandoned children, the abused women, etc. and only then "assiste" the rest of the world

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                                 Jim Hunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                                 If I were you I would pack up and leave this hell hole right away.
                                 
                                 And take Nancy Pelosi with you.

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                              Jeff Berndtposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              The one time I saw the Japanese parliament on TV, it was at the time they were voting on whether to send troops to the first Persian Gulf War (Desert Storm). The vote to send troops (a very few, and observers/support personnel only) carried by a slim margin, and as soon as the vote was counted and te result announced, one side of the chamber suddenly charged the other, and I'm not kidding, physically attacked them. I was astonished.
                              
                              'Course, Gil Dinello, a Michigan State Senator, punched a fellow Senator on the senate floor, in full view of the gallery, including some visiting Cub Scouts, so it's not just Japan.
                              
                              Go Democracy!

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   Ralph Deedsposted 13 years ago

   The "Independent" Campaign Contributors aren't so independent.
   
   http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor … h-20101031

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   Petra Vlahposted 13 years ago

   Maybe you should leave Jim. Go write a hub or do something productive for a change

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      Jim Hunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Don't forget Bawny Fwank.

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   Ralph Deedsposted 13 years ago

   By world standards we're considered a democratic country. Whether we are a Democracy or a Republic can be debated all night. Not worth the trouble.

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      qwarkposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      ...by defintion, we are a republic.

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      Reality Bytesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      Who cares about world standards?
      
      We are a Republic!

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      Jeff Berndtposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      No, Ralph, it's really not a point of debate. If we were a democracy (which seems to be what the Tea Party movement wants, to listen to some of the "why didn't we get to vote on [issue]" rhetoric) there'd be a nationwide referendum on every decision and nothing would ever get done.
      
      We're a constitutional republic. Our representatives are elected democratically, yes, but our form of government is that of a constitutional republic.
      
      And don't mess with us, or we'll bring democracy to your country.

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         Petra Vlahposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         and bringing democracy to this country would really be a shame, Jeff, right?

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            Jeff Berndtposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I was making a joke about our blunder into Iraq, but, well, yeah. True democracy worked fine for Athens, since there were only a few hundred people who were allowed to vote and they all lived within walking distance of the agora.
            
            But it wouldn't work in a continent-spanning country of over 300 million people; the cost (in dollars, resources, and time away from productive work) of holding an election every time the country needs to make a policy decision is prohibitive. That's why some kind of representative government is needed. I like our constitutional republic, but a parliamentary version would be fine too.
            
            Your point is taken, though. I'd like it a lot better if we were more democratic and less plutocratic in practice.

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         Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         That distinction stikes me as pedantry. The U.S. in common parlance all around the world is a democracy. Your definition is unreasonably narrow. There are many variations of democracies. Allowing everyone to vote on every issue would be completely impractical. By that definition there are no democracies, except in small towns in rural Kansas.
         
         Modern Definition of Democracy
         In order to deserve the label modern democracy, a country needs to fulfill some basic requirements - and they need not only be written down in it's constitution but must be kept up in everyday life by politicians and authorities:
         
             * Guarantee of basic Human Rights to every individual person vis-à-vis the state and its authorities as well as vis-à-vis any social groups (especially religious institutions) and vis-à-vis other persons.
             * Separation of Powers between the institutions of the state:
               Government [Executive Power],
               Parliament [Legislative Power] und
               Courts of Law [Judicative Power]
             * Freedom of opinion, speech, press and massmedia
             * Religious liberty
             * General and equal right to vote (one person, one vote)
             * Good Governance (focus on public interest and absence of corruption)

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   csmcmanusposted 13 years ago

   This country is not really democratic. It is ran by special interest organizations. There is a saying that goes (sorta like) " The golden rule is the one with the gold makes the rule". As soon as democracy is no longer profitable, the model will change.

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   Ralph Deedsposted 13 years ago

   Seems to me that many of us view the issues in a false "either/or," "black or white," dichotomy when the truth is somewhere in between. Our country is a democracy albeit an imperfect one.
   
   As somebody said "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
   
   http://tartarus.org/~martin/essays/burkequote.html

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   qwarkposted 13 years ago

   Democracy = the people vote and are in control
   Republic =  the people vote and the elected control.
   Simple as that.

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      Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Call it whatever you want. I won't quibble. Most people consider the U.S. a democratic country, a democracy.

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         qwarkposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Ralph:
         You are quite right. They do.

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         Jeff Berndtposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         A democratic country, yes, and in social studies shorthand, a democracy, sure.
         
         But if we're going to talk about the nitty-gritty of how governing is done, it's totally a constitutional republic.

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