Is America a democracy?

[Dopeonia]

I would say no, because democracy is supposed to work from the bottom-up, and decisions are supposed to be made by common consent.

No it doesn't. Democracy just means that decision makers are liable to the electorate and have a responsibility to satisfy them, where the electorate can decide to vote them out if they don't do this.

[Raul Caribe]

Don't they teach this in middle school anymore?


No. The US is a republic.

exactly we never have been a democracy and are not supposed to be.

Wrong on both accounts, we have always been a democracy, and were always supposed to be, as well as a Republic...

The terms are not mutually exclusive, and both apply to the United States...

a democratic republic is not democracy. i dont care how twisted and perverted the language has become since they made the country. like now a days they call jungle a rain forest. when i went to school a rain Forest was like the pacific north west. and south America was jungle. just because the meanings of the words have been twisted does not detract from the original intent.

i mean who would send money to a charity to save the jungle when save the rain forest sounds so much better.

[Greater Tezdrian]

Is the Corporate Regime broken?
Is a Fascist administration in power?

Then...No.

[L3 Communications]

What UAWC (Being his commie self) was trying to move the debate into was how plutocratic the American "Democratic" process is. You MUST be rich to get a whole-national voice.

Define "whole-national voice", and last time I checked, Dan Inouye and Strom Thurmond didn't come from very rich families. \:

a democratic republic is not democracy. i dont care how twisted and perverted the language has become since they made the country. when i went to school a rain Forest was like the pacific north west. and south America was like now a days they call jungle a rain forest. jungle. just because the meanings of the words have been twisted does not detract from the original intent.

i mean who would send money to a charity to save the jungle when save the rain forest sounds so much better.

Technically, they both are. You have temperate and tropical rainforests.

[Maurepas]

Don't they teach this in middle school anymore?


No. The US is a republic.

exactly we never have been a democracy and are not supposed to be.

Wrong on both accounts, we have always been a democracy, and were always supposed to be, as well as a Republic...

The terms are not mutually exclusive, and both apply to the United States...

a democratic republic is not democracy. i dont care how twisted and perverted the language has become since they made the country. like now a days they call jungle a rain forest. when i went to school a rain Forest was like the pacific north west. and south America was jungle. just because the meanings of the words have been twisted does not detract from the original intent.

i mean who would send money to a charity to save the jungle when save the rain forest sounds so much better.

Actually, funny you should mention the founding of the country, as the original corruption of the term used by yourself and others was done by James Madison...

He had used the term incorrectly to mean "Representative Democracy", that was actually the twisting that had occurred...

However, Representative Democracy is still democracy, and we do not have a Monarch or hereditary ruler, so we still are a Republic...any attempts to make either term illegitimate with regards to US Governance is irrelevant, and wrong...

[Herskerstad]

It would be a democratic republic with a few branches of selective meritocracy. Other areas of government would be branched upon a capitalistic approach.

[Palledonia]

The person I responded to was acting as if wiki was an infallible authoritative source which we should accept without question.

Urm no, when I say it's good enough I mean it's okay to point out a Wikipedia article, not saying it is trustworthy.

It is not.

Great, because I never meant it in that way.

(because wiki does not aim to be truthful to the furthest extent but rather neutral and representative).

So you can't be truthful if your neutral and representative?

If he had been treating it as advice for better understanding of the word democracy or as another point of view supported by some sources then I would have said nothing.

I was, you've completely blown my little spurt out of proportion.

Why the hell do we have to argue about this?

[Urgolon]

America is a republic.

[Albrante]

The person I responded to was acting as if wiki was an infallible authoritative source which we should accept without question. It is not. Actually nothing is but especially sources like wiki are not (because wiki does not aim to be truthful to the furthest extent but rather neutral and representative).

How did I imply that? I wasn't using Wikipedia as an infallible authoritative source, I was using my own logic to conclude and using a source to back it up, Wikipedia was the first I found. I'm sure I could get various articles, both on the net and from texts to say the same. I agree that Wikipedia isn't a definitive source but it isn't the rubbish it is portrayed to be.
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1038_3-5997332.html

[The Rich Port]

Sez in mah government textbook it a presidential/federal democratic republic.

[Natapoc]

The person I responded to was acting as if wiki was an infallible authoritative source which we should accept without question.

Urm no, when I say it's good enough I mean it's okay to point out a Wikipedia article, not saying it is trustworthy.

It is not.

Great, because I never meant it in that way.

(because wiki does not aim to be truthful to the furthest extent but rather neutral and representative).

So you can't be truthful if your neutral and representative?

If he had been treating it as advice for better understanding of the word democracy or as another point of view supported by some sources then I would have said nothing.

I was, you've completely blown my little spurt out of proportion.

Why the hell do we have to argue about this?

I'm glad we agree then. I read your post as suggesting the wiki article was more valid then any other educated source and that their definition was not one among many but rather THE definition.

Since you apparently were not saying that the definition suggested by wiki is THE definition but rather one educated definition with some well regarded sources to back it up we have no dispute.

[Hassett]

America is not a direct democracy, yet it has the best system of government as of right now, equally balancing National and State power

[Natapoc]

The person I responded to was acting as if wiki was an infallible authoritative source which we should accept without question. It is not. Actually nothing is but especially sources like wiki are not (because wiki does not aim to be truthful to the furthest extent but rather neutral and representative).

How did I imply that? I wasn't using Wikipedia as an infallible authoritative source, I was using my own logic to conclude and using a source to back it up, Wikipedia was the first I found. I'm sure I could get various articles, both on the net and from texts to say the same. I agree that Wikipedia isn't a definitive source but it isn't the rubbish it is portrayed to be.
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1038_3-5997332.html

I never suggested wiki is "rubbish" I don't know where that came from. I consider it slightly more reliable then a standard encyclopedia for non controversial topics and slightly less for the more controversial ones with an overall favorable attitude to wiki vs other encyclopedias.

I would have said the same if you would have used a definition from encyclopedia Britannica for example.

At any rate I apparently misunderstood how you wanted to use it.

Please also see my reply here: viewtopic.php?p=1823747#p1823747

[Dopeonia]

Isn't it a bit strange that those who claim that the US is not a democracy, and what they envision as a real democracy, is completely at odds with what the people who actually invented the word 'democracy' actually thought democracy was.

[BrightonBurg]

Don't they teach this in middle school anymore?


No. The US is a republic.

^^^ This,and no they don't teach U.S civics,it's all about man made globle warming,and teaching " my two mommies" , get the with program!!!!!!!

[Conserative Morality]

A Democratic Republic, or Representative Democracy.

[Maurepas]

Don't they teach this in middle school anymore?


No. The US is a republic.

^^^ This,and no they don't teach U.S civics,it's all about man made globle warming,and teaching " my two mommies,get the with program!!! LOL

Hur Dur!

An incorrect statement, and Partisan Tripe!

[Lackadaisical2]

Isn't it a bit strange that those who claim that the US is not a democracy, and what they envision as a real democracy, is completely at odds with what the people who actually invented the word 'democracy' actually thought democracy was.

Not particularly, most that are arguing against it being a democracy simply don't like the results of democracy, therefore, if only we had 'real' democracy, then everyone would agree with them.

[Demented Tigers]

I'd class it as a 'Do as I say, not as I do' state.

[Natapoc]

I have a question: Is Iran a democracy?

[BrightonBurg]

Don't they teach this in middle school anymore?


No. The US is a republic.

^^^ This,and no they don't teach U.S civics,it's all about man made globle warming,and teaching " my two mommies,get the with program!!! LOL

Hur Dur!

An incorrect statement, and Partisan Tripe!

^ clearly a person who has no contact with public schools.

[Dopeonia]

I have a question: Is Iran a democracy?

Do you think its election was rigged?

[BrightonBurg]

I have a question: Is Iran a democracy?

No, it is a military -theocracy

[Panzerjaeger]

I kinda like the idea that we are just a republic. It encourages the fermentation of revolutionary potential. After all, if we are not a democracy then the government is illegitimate.

Why would any advocate of democracy want to call the current situation in the united states anything associated with democracy?

The real question is: Why would anyone advocate democracy after seeing what it has done to the United States?

Exactly America made me into an Autocrat!

[Maurepas]

I have a question: Is Iran a democracy?

No, they are a "theocratic republic", whatever that means,