Democracy - the rule of the (common)people?

Question

Do you think that's what we've got?

I mean all so called"Western Democracies"
And I mean, do you, as a meber of the public, really feel that you rule your country?

Answer 1

We have a strange perverted form of democracy. We are asked to choose between sets of liars every few years and spend the time between 'elections' regretting our 'decision'.

Answer 2

We are talking about the US here, right? For many years I have questioned this myself. My conclusion is that we haven't lived in democracy for a very, very long time. No, instead (I believe) we live in an oligarchy. An oligarchy is the rule of a powerful few or group. I think if anyone really watches things and pays close attention they may just see that the power has been taken from the hands of the people and is soley in the hands of the politicians.

Many may argue that we get to elect our officials and therefor that is a democracy. But do we even truly get to do that? The highest official of all, the president is elected by the electoral college NOT the people. If the president were truly elected by the people it would be by popular vote and the electoral college would not exist. The electorates of the state do not even have to give the vote to the person the people of the state have voted for. This is called a dishonerable electorate AND it HAS happened numerous times in the course of American history.

Also, it appears that the Supreme Court can take it upon themselves to simply appoint the president as we saw in Dubya's first term. December 5th is NOT the deadline that a state has to certify its vote by. That date is January 5th. In fact in Kennedy v. Nixon Hawaii didn't have its vote in until January 5th. December 5th is the deadline that the senate has to oppose the election results (more than likely the real reason the Supreme Court acted as they did). Yes, the senate can actually oppose the results.

So now I ask with the electoral college, the Senate able to oppose results and a Supreme Court that takes it upon itself to bypass the people and appoint the president, how much power do the people really have? NONE!!! Not in an oligarchy.

This is the worse kind of oligarchy. It is one where the masses are convinced they are a democracy. Oh how the government and its officials have fooled us indeed.

Answer 3

The United States of America was never, is not, nor likely never will be, a Democracy.

In a democracy, every person has one vote. The majority rule. In such a situation, say you have five people, one rich, four poor. The four vote that the one must share. Majority rules, everyone's now slightly above being poor.

The USA is in fact a representative republic. We are a collection of (supposedly) independant units working together under an organizing leadership. At all levels, the leaders are chosen by the masses, and once chosen, represent the masses. Imagine if we WERE a democracy and every single decision of congress had to be put to a popular vote, and every idea offered as law required such a vote.

Answer 4

Someone once said about democracy leads to the tyranny of the majority and this has been seen many times! There isn't a country that really has a pure democracy, they only lean that way as the government always have the power of Vito.

Answer 5

This isn't a religious or spiritual question. Yes, we live in a liberal democracy.

Liberal

Liberal democracy is a representative democracy (with free and fair elections) along with the rule of law, a separation of powers, and protection of liberties (thus the name liberal) of speech, assembly, religion, and property. [3] [4] Conversely, an illiberal democracy is one where the protections that form a liberal democracy are either nonexistent, or not enforced. The experience in some post-Soviet states drew attention to the phenomenon, although it is not of recent origin. Napoleon for example used plebiscites to ratify his imperial decisions.

Answer 6

No.

We have a Federal Republic:


A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. A federation is composed of a number of self-governing states united by a federal government. In a federation, unlike in a unitary state, the self-governing status of autonomous regions is constitutionally entrenched and cannot be revoked by a unilateral decision of the central government. The states in a federation also maintain all political sovereignty that they do not yield to the federation. Usage of the term republic is inconsistent but, as a minimum, it means a state or federation of states that does not have a monarch as head of state.

Three states explicitly describe themselves as federal republics. These are the Federal Republic of Germany, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. A close variant is the term federative republic, which appears in the full official title of Brazil. Not every federation is a republic; for example Canada, Australia, and Malaysia are each federal constitutional monarchies.

Answer 7

Your question is interesting. I originally wrote the below, but I find myself wondering if your are speaking to our FORM of government or to our political ideology....

First off, democracy is MAJORITY RULE. You have 100 people and 51 of them feel one way and 49 of them feel another, then it is always in favor of the majority.

The U.S. is a Republic. That means that we PRESERVE Minority rights! It is not the tyrannical RULE of the majority.

So, we are the Democratic (people vote), Republic (..we elect representatives to govern) United States of America.

If you were speaking to our political ideology only, then yes, you are right historically, however I am wondering if we have that anymore. Our government seems to not listen or heed our concerns.

For instance, the President is not enforcing current immigration laws... The congress is not trying to impeach him over it... They have both decided, against the will of the people, that things need to change.

That is not democratic or republican. That is totalitarian.

Answer 8

Yes. Because of the fact that if people used their power to vote and question those in power, there would more accountability of those in power. It seems that those in the middle or in lower incomes just accept what those with money and power have to say. We all need to speak up; whether at the polls or by contacting those in power. It is our right and we have not used it properly.

Answer 9

Democracy is the worst form of government there is... apart from all the rest.

Answer 10

This is a democratically elected Republic

We live in a Republic.

We do NOT live in a democracy.

Read a book people.