NationStates Jolt Archive


USA, is it a Republic, or even a Democracy?

Wilgrove
25-06-2007, 02:05
You know, I used to be one of those people who didn't believe someone when they say that the United States of America isn't a Republic, or even a Democracy, but ever since I became interested in politics, I've begun to ponder the questions.

Lets look at the two major parties that we have, the Republican and the Democrats. Both parties have been in power for too long, and because they've been in power for too long, they have made and pass legislation keeping third parties out of the race, to keep their foot out of the doorway. Parties such as the Libertarian party, green party and yes even socialist parties are having to jump through hoops to get the name of their candidate on the ballot, and yet, neither Republican or Democrat had to jump those same hoops.

Every time Chicago has an election, a Daley always get elected. Why, because the elections are pretty much a sham, Daley has the backing of a huge political machine that can bully people into voting for him, forging votes from dead people, and the latest Daley to take the office of Mayor in Chicago shut down Meigs Field illegally! Do you think he's going to get kicked out of office anytime soon? Nope, not a fat chance.

People who are sponsoring debates, can keep any candidate out, I talked about on a previous thread about how the ICA, and the Iowan Tax Relief people are keeping Ron Paul out of the Iowa Debates. Do you honestly think this is the first time this happened? No, ever since we started to have sponsored debates, candidates who aren't clones of the politicians in power are often left out in the cold when it comes to televised national debates.

Now whether or not we like to admit it, people have been prohibited to vote, for several reasons, it may be because of their race, sex, orientation, etc, whatever. The only reason we hear about this is that we have watch dog organization that keep close tracks of the polling place, and any attempt to actually block people from voting is usually front page story on CNN and newspaper across America, and yet it still happens.

Of course, ultimately does it really matter? America has some of the lowest voters turn out anywhere in the world. People are apathetic when it comes to politics, they are more concerned about Paris Hilton, or American Idol. They can tell you who won the last five Super Bowls, and yet they can't even name their Congressman and senators. As long as people are fat, dumb, & Lazy, they don't care what the people in power are doing in Washington, and don't think that they don't know that. Why do you think that Americans are more occupied with sports and fleeting entertainment than politics? Politicans across America are building new stadiums and amphitheater's to host these entertainments, and why, to distract us from what they are doing, and it's working.

As of right now, I'm not sure if America is a Republic or a Democracy.
Khadgar
25-06-2007, 02:11
A laissez faire oligarchy.

The problem of voter apathy has two causes.

1) Massive negative campaigning. In effect whichever side gets the most people to vote wins. They're trying to discourage voting.
2) Our votes don't actually mean much.
UNITIHU
25-06-2007, 02:12
I have hope in the younger generations. While most are apathetic, those who care about politics seem to be more open to different viewpoints then the people in office today. [/hopeless rant]
Lunatic Goofballs
25-06-2007, 02:17
It's a lowest common denominator...ocracy. That's a government run by the least unappealing dipshits that want the job. :p
Ifreann
25-06-2007, 02:22
It's a lolocracy. A government run in such a way that the rest of the world laughs at it.
The PeoplesFreedom
25-06-2007, 02:24
How would you change the government? Sounds like you are just angry at voter apathy. The honest truth is that people don't much care as long as they get their consumer goods. The U.S. is still a democracy, even if the people don't care as much.
Lunatic Goofballs
25-06-2007, 02:24
It's a lolocracy. A government run in such a way that the rest of the world laughs at it.

Yeah, but it's not the good kind of funny and it's not the good kind of laughter. :(
Naream
25-06-2007, 02:24
been this way for a long time you only just now figured it out?
should not use sterio types unless you plan to apply them to yourself aswell, i figure most of the population is in a hopeless daze so while thay know it dont work the way it should thay also feel there is little thay can do about it.
Ifreann
25-06-2007, 02:31
Yeah, but it's not the good kind of funny and it's not the good kind of laughter. :(

No. It's a lolocracy of the lolfail variety, instead of the lolfunneh or lolwin variety.
Vetalia
25-06-2007, 02:41
It's a federal republic, but that doesn't mean a whole lot. Technically, the Soviet Union was also a federal republic...
Ancap Paradise
25-06-2007, 02:49
A laissez faire oligarchy.

Doesn't laissez faire mean "hands off?"

Our government doesn't leave its hands off of anyone. With one hand it robs us blind, and it has the other hand thrust firmly down the trousers of big business.
Ghost Tigers Rise
25-06-2007, 02:50
We're a federal constitutional republic. That is the system our government uses.

This fact does not comment on the government's treatment of foreign or domestic issues, it just comments on the way it deals with said issues.

In much the same way, a autocracy is just the government system of a country. However, an autocracy can be fairly benevolent (Catherine the Great, for example, the epitomy of an enlightened despot.)
Andaras Prime
25-06-2007, 02:52
Well what modern 'western' democracy is, is little 'd' democracy, little d democracy is a bipartisan nominal electoral system. Democracy on the other hand is literal participatory/direct democracy, so you don't vote because that is delegating your popular power to somehow to act on your behalf, which they don't usually do. The idea of Democracy comes from the literal Greek translation, 'the common people rule', this has been taken by Marx as meaning not that we choose our oppressors like representative democracy, but that egalitarian Democracy means we have equal economic power as well as political, in orthodox Leninism that means taxation is the guardian of the public wealth, not capital in the form of excess profit. I could go into this more but I won't, but I will recommend the Green Book to anyone who hasn't read it, it's very good literature for big D Democracy.

http://www.mathaba.net/gci/theory/gb1.htm


In much the same way, a autocracy is just the government system of a country. However, an autocracy can be fairly benevolent (Catherine the Great, for example, the epitomy of an enlightened despot.)
Actually, it was widely believed that Napoleon was the epitome enlightened despot, that didn't work out so well though.
Ancap Paradise
25-06-2007, 02:59
A laissez faire oligarchy.

The problem of voter apathy has two causes.

1) Massive negative campaigning. In effect whichever side gets the most people to vote wins. They're trying to discourage voting.
2) Our votes don't actually mean much.

3) The two parties are almost identical, and candidates who would actually try to bring genuine change are never allowed to win (although there are a few extremely rare exceptions)
Ghost Tigers Rise
25-06-2007, 03:07
Actually, it was widely believed that Napoleon was the epitome enlightened despot, that didn't work out so well though.

Catherine II has been considered the greatest, and I consider her better than Napoleon, so...
New Foxxinnia
25-06-2007, 03:09
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/2019/democrazyws3.jpg
Jeruselem
25-06-2007, 03:13
Democracy? Nope, closer to corporate dictatorship these days.
Ancap Paradise
25-06-2007, 03:28
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/2019/democrazyws3.jpg

Democracy now? Why at all? Why is tyranny by majority better than tyranny by minority?
SaintB
25-06-2007, 16:30
The country is fucked up and needs reform... sadly the only people who really vote are in love witht he ones in power and think they can do no wrong. Every time I vote I end up voting for a third party candidate, who in my opinion is 9 out of 10 times more qualified than the rest. This is why its important to get awareness to us younger people. We are the future, and we need to work to make the future government better, do what we can to remove the crap and fix the system. I'm sure Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, etc. would never have rebelled against Great Britain if they new what kind of farce we would turn thier beloved idea of a new world into.