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When you talk about democracy, most people in the world think of it as "how representative a government is to its people", and how well a government serves its people. USA could certainly learn a few things about democracy from other democracies.
That's my point,
The conservatives sheeps that keep on saying "We are not a democracy, we are a republic"
think that a country is one or the other.
it can be both, or just one.
The thing is, when they say (bleat) that, what they MEAN is "I am a republican and they are democrats."
Amazing how conservatives swallow right-wing propaganda.
Republic = Government structure
Democracy = Method of electing government officials
Saying that a democracy is not a republic
is like saying that cars are not Ford.
Most democracies don't have a method of electing government officials. Instead, their parliaments (or government systems) puts officials in office. Not citizens.
Also, the United States is a republic. Please say the pledge of allegiance, read the constitution, and tell me where it establishes this country as a democracy?
Yes, but it has a democratic process. I'm certainly not saying the difference is unimportant; it is. The phenomenon of using words wrong bothers me more than anyone I often feel, but at the same time, describing the US as a democarcy is not likely someone actually misunderstanding what form of government we have.
As for the constitution... we'll see. That's the best I can muster up unfortunately. A lot of people right now don't seem to really care about the constitution. Legislators and judges who criticize Trump are often called unAmerican, which is ironic, since nothing strikes me as being more unamerican than actually having a problem with the separation of powers. And because someone saying it is inevitable, this isn't a Trump specific problem. It's been around, probably since at least Andrew Jackson, but Trump is the president right now so until he's not the president, it is his problem.
Usually, when I hear someone use the word "democracy" in this context, I take it to mean any country that has free and fair elections, in which any adult citizen (save those who have lost the right due to having committed a crime) can vote, regardless of sex, race, creed, property ownership, etc.
I suspect most people who are complaining realize this, and are actually complaining because they dislike the question.
On to my reply.
I think the US is a great country. I'm not sure I think it is the best or the freest, at least not in all things. We have lots of room for improvement, in terms of health care, minimum wage and other employee's rights, and now, with environmental protections under fire, ensuring the safety of our air and water. To say so does not imply a lack of love for country, IMO. It merely implies realism.
Is love so unquestioning that it blinds you to the flaws of the beloved really love, or is it only blindness?
Only in America are the poor frequently fat, while in leftist paradises like North Korea the poor die of famine or are killed for disagreeing with big government.
North Korea is a brutal dictatorship. Nothing "leftist" about it. The lack of understanding of basic facts by most posters on this forum is truly disgusting.
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