Is America Really A Democracy?

[BFT3K]

Who does our government really work for?

Democracy? What Democracy?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvJ1ZuJDNbQ

[dyna mo]

and that's why I don't argue politics on GFY

[mikesouth]

America never was a democracy nor was it ever intended to be

the word isnt in the constitution, the bill of rights or the declaration of independence, our founding fathers saw democracy as nothing more than mob rule where the rights of an individual can be expunged by the "mob"

Only a fool calls the US a democracy

even though for 12 years most of the cited "And to the REPUBLIC for which it stands" five days a week...

[Antonio]

One of the few countries with full democracies in the World:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_freedom_indices

.. and probably the only one that listens to its citizens 24/7 ;)

[just a punk]

Originally Posted by BFT3K

Is America Really A Democracy?

Democracy is a myth

[oppoten]

You have a kike-ocracy.

Summer "Redstone" says congrats

[duk75]

No, it is not a democracy.

And in proper terms, America is a continent.

[seeandsee]

what democracy ?

[pimpmaster9000]

no successful system has democracy period...plato said, some 2400 years ago about democracy: "the best way to silence an intelligent man is to give voice to a lot of fools"

the chief of surgery does not ask the dumb shit cleaning the floor of the hospital about the best way to remove a brain tumor....

the CEO of a company does not ask the coffee cook about business strategy for the next year...

I find it stunning that some people actually say the democracy word with a serious connotation...people are not equal and the dumb shits do not get to call the shots no matter how many pieces of paper you get to put in a box and no matter how "legit" it all looks...

the only real power an american has is when he does NOT vote...

[MaDalton]

the american election system is kind of flawed imo - you can become president with less than 50% of the actual votes and it's almost impossible for a 3rd or 4th party to become relevant

[Sly]

Originally Posted by MaDalton

the american election system is kind of flawed imo - you can become president with less than 50% of the actual votes and it's almost impossible for a 3rd or 4th party to become relevant

Not really a flaw, that's how it was designed, a Democratic Republic. By the way, everyone likes the system when it favors their candidate. ;-)

[crockett]

America was never really a Democracy and if anything we are the closest now than ever. When this country was founded only white land owners could vote. That is not a democracy.

Eventually it was all white men could vote.. Then Women were allowed to vote. Now all citizens have the right to vote but corporations and the wealthy still carry more lobbying weight than the average citizen.

At this point we are the closest to a democracy as the country has even been but it's still not quite there yet.

[MaDalton]

Originally Posted by Sly

Not really a flaw, that's how it was designed, a Democratic Republic. By the way, everyone likes the system when it favors their candidate. ;-)

ok, then the design is flawed...

edit: another big flaw is that it is so much based on how much money a candidate can raise

[michael.kickass]

"Democracy becomes viable only at the point at which the vast majority of citizens are highly capable, clever, and resourceful."

I don't believe the vast majority of US citizens fit into that description to which I totally agree.

[slapass]

Originally Posted by MaDalton

the american election system is kind of flawed imo - you can become president with less than 50% of the actual votes and it's almost impossible for a 3rd or 4th party to become relevant

Why is that a flaw? It favors 3rd and 4th candidates. If you had 3 or 4 viable people, no one would get 50% of the vote.

[MaDalton]

Originally Posted by slapass

Why is that a flaw? It favors 3rd and 4th candidates. If you had 3 or 4 viable people, no one would get 50% of the vote.

ask Al Gore...

but usually you have more than 2 candidates, if one gets more than 50% in the first election, he's the winner.

otherwise the 2 with the most votes run for a second round

but in the US that won't work anyways since the president is not elected directly and it is realistically impossible that a third party will be able to win enough states to elect someone else than a republican or democrat

so you are stuck with these guys

[Robbie]

As Mike said earlier...our form of Govt. in the U.S. is not and never was a "Democracy".

It was started and remains a "Republic"

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by crockett

When this country was founded only white land owners could vote. That is not a democracy.

When this country was founded it was (and still is) a "Republic". Not a "democracy".

Having said that...I wonder how many European countries back in 1776 allowed women and/or blacks to "vote" (especially since a lot them were run by "Kings" and an elite ruling class)

[Vendzilla]

Who cares what it's called, I mean does it matter?

[Klen]

Originally Posted by Antonio

One of the few countries with full democracies in the World:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_freedom_indices

.. and probably the only one that listens to its citizens 24/7 ;)

Funny but it seems only countries with all fields blue are Canada,New Zealand and Switzerland.
Anyway i think usa is democracy but kind a restricted,it is kind a hard to make changes due those restrictions.Also one thing what restrict democracy factor,is unusual high jail times.

[Klen]

Originally Posted by Vendzilla

Who cares what it's called, I mean does it matter?

Depend how submissive you are.

[evy97]

Originally Posted by Antonio

One of the few countries with full democracies in the World:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_freedom_indices

.. and probably the only one that listens to its citizens 24/7 ;)

One of the stupidest things I've ever seen... Are you really that stupid or just sarcasm?

[_Richard_]

Originally Posted by KlenTelaris

Funny but it seems only countries with all fields blue are Canada,New Zealand and Switzerland.
Anyway i think usa is democracy but kind a restricted,it is kind a hard to make changes due those restrictions.Also one thing what restrict democracy factor,is unusual high jail times.

we will be dropping like a rock.

the 'unusual high jail times' for example.. if you wear a mask to a protest, you are put in jail for longer than if you were to rape someone.

[Vendzilla]

Originally Posted by KlenTelaris

Depend how submissive you are.

I'm the opposite of submissive

Besides, I always heard that the US was a Constitutional Republic. Sounds like political Correctness to me.

[joepusher]

Democracy just means that a majority of 2 people can vote to rob or kill a third person.

James Madison, the founder who is the brains behind the Constitution, especially the intricate system of checks and balances, had this to say below in Federalist #10 about democracy.

" ...a pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole; a communication and concert result from the form of government itself; and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious individual. Hence it is that such 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."

[GregE]

The USA used to be representative republic. Now it's a corporatocracy with democratic trimmings.

Note: Contrary to what you might read elsewhere, the current USA structure should not be confused with early 20th century fascist corporatocracies wherein the head of state alone had the final say (Italy, Germany and Hungary being the prime examples of the former).

[joepusher]

What the Constitution says, and what we actually live under are two different things. The document itself is about as perfect a form of government as there can be, but it's just never been followed.

We had an actual constitutional democratic republic for about 5 minutes, and then it started going downhill until we got to the point we are at today.

Now we have a fascist system, but they just use a nicer sounding phrase, "a public/private partnership". It means that the government is one and the same with large corparate/money interest who can shape public policy in whichever direction they want in order to make the most profit.

If you believe that there are really two parties who oppose each other, then you also probably believe that the so called wars on "terror" or "drugs" are real too.

[evy97]

Originally Posted by GregE

The USA used to be representative republic. Now it's a corporatocracy with democratic trimmings.

Note: Contrary to what you might read elsewhere, the current USA structure should not be confused with early 20th century fascist corporatocracies wherein the head of state alone had the final say (Italy, Germany and Hungary being the prime examples of the former).

what the heck, Hungary?? when?

[GregE]

Originally Posted by evy97

what the heck, Hungary?? when?

I was thinking during the interwar period under Hungary's regent Admiral Horthy, but it seems that I confused him with Austria's Chancellor Dollfuss. Sorry about that.

For what it's worth Portugal, Estonia and Latvia had similar political/economic arrangements going on during this time period.

[Klen]

Originally Posted by _Richard_

we will be dropping like a rock.

the 'unusual high jail times' for example.. if you wear a mask to a protest, you are put in jail for longer than if you were to rape someone.

Yep just saw on meme site a pic of example where someone who stole 40 mil got 28 months of jail,and dude which stole 100$ got 15 years.You can also see example of absurd laws how they are present only in some third world country..and Usa.

[MrTrollkien]

they could make a similar research on how much the judiciary is biased towards the elite.