Is the United States of America a Democracy or a Republic? Why do you think so?

Question

FYI - We are officially listed at the U.N. as a:

Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition

I was inclined at first to give the Best Answer to Dolphin, until I read over his answer a second time. While the most time and effort was obviously put into this answer, it has too many flaws to get my vote.

First – The forefathers created us as a Republic because they knew that true Democracy was not the best way. Too many members of the populace are too ignorant or are swayed to easily to be able to vote for a certain issue.

Second – I used to believe that we needed to get rid of the two party system, but I feel the Nation moved towards this system of it’s own need. Overall it adds greater balance because throughout history it has forced both sides to meet somewhere in the middle. Let’s say we had 5 political parties…A candidate that wins 33% of the vote could become president. That would mean TWO THIRDS of the nation didn’t like this candidate, they just received more votes than the other candidates.

Third – The two party system isn’t the problem with whom the candidates serve, the people or the party, it is the candidates themselves. Don’t vote left or right, vote for the best candidate for America

Fourth – The common belief that the people in Iraq are worse off than before is a complete fallacy. Their infrastructure has NEVER been better. Energy output is greater, Over 3 times as many schools AND hospitals are in operation compared to the year 2000. Things are FAR BETTER in Iraq than ever before. I have 2 cousins in the Marines over there right now and I keep in contact with them regularly. They are disgusted with the news that is being reported over here. This was is constantly being compared to Vietnam, well there is one truth in that statement. The war is not being won or lost by our soldiers, (no one in the world can defeat our military on the battlefield) it is being won or lost by the political parlaying in our homeland.

Fifth – The U.S. a model for other Countries? We ARE the perfect model, although we are a less than perfect nation these days. Your paragraph includes multiple items.
Homeless – Statistics show that most homeless people became homeless due the choices they had made for themselves. I realize that hardships become some people, and these are the ones my hearts and my support will go to. Give these people the jobs that “Most Americans Wont Do” and send the illegals home.
Our hungry – Did you know that even the poorest of our lower class would be considered WEALTHY in 90% of all other nations on Earth. Most of our “poor” still have enough money to buy Potato Chips, Twinkies, and many other unnecessary items.

Healthcare – This is already guaranteed everyone in our Great Country, guaranteed so much that even those here illegally are guaranteed Healthcare. If you meant Health Insurance… That is a privilege, not a Right. Our Grandparents did not have Health Insurance and they are the greatest Generation our Nation has ever seen. Healthcare in the U.S. is expensive because it is the best in the world. Hands down.
Unemployment – Are you serious? The last 5 years have seen the lowest unemployment in U.S. History! 95 out of 100 people have jobs and this stat doesn’t eve include many part-time jobs due to their high turnover rate.

Sixth – Don’t make this question about the war. The reason, as I stated above, that we should NOT allow most people to vote on bringing our troops back is that the average person is too easily swayed by a smooth talker who is great with words but lacks the knowledge and the correct means to get the job done right. The average person is also largely ignorant of many of the problems, This is why we vote on Representatives. They are a blend of the voices of the people who voted for them. At least they are supposed to be. The average citizen does not, nor should they be privy to the information that our Senators and Representatives in our government have. That is a very important part of our government. If we all knew what they knew, we may or may not be able to comprehend this information. Bottomline… I would NOT nor should anyone sign a petition to bring the troops home when most Americans lack the knowledge of the whole situation.

Answer 1

The U.S. is a nation run by LAWS and therefore it is by definition a REPUBLIC.
The people of the U.S. elect Representatives to make and enforce those laws so that makes us a democratic republic, or a representative republic.
We are not a democracy. If we were, then Hollywood could make specious movies to convince the ignorant that we need to chance something on false pretenses, set up a vote and a majority vote could change anything at any time - even eliminate your rights and the constitution.

Answer 2

The US is a republic. WE could be a democracy, we now have the technology.

The forefathers gave us the way, in writing, undeniable. The US Constitution is the highest law in the land and here is what it says:

Do you know what George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin had to say about the 2 party system?



The first clue to what they thought would happen become apparent in the bill of rights. You can read it at: http://www.archives.gov/national-archive...

George Washington himself said that the problem with a 2 party system is that eventually the politicians would stop serving the interests of the people and start serving the interests of the party.

I don't know about you, but from my perspective it appears that the forefathers could have opened a psychic hotline. It seems that the priorities that are being set by our leaders are not necessarily in line with what the immediate needs of the average American are. Considering the amount of money it takes to finance war, the effort, the lives lost; It just doesn't seem like the leadership is using common sense, but rather serving the interests of the parties, some exceptions to the rule.

It seems like basic common sense to me. When given the choice between asking our brothers and sisters in the military to risk their lives and asking the American Business Juggernaut to step in and provide structural integrity to a nation with a shattered foundation, it seems that business would cause less loss of life, would actually generate money, and help provide the necessary operating capital to rebuild the infrastructure necessary for the basic needs of those humans. It was reported that the conditions that people are living in there are third world. Imagine if all the sudden we did not have power, water or sewage. It has happened in areas here and everyone who has been involved in a situation like that could surely agree that it makes one frustrated. Just think, the worst thing we saw lately was the mishandling of the hurricane Katrina disaster. Imagine that on a countrywide scale.


Then imagine what you would feel after a couple years with no solutions. They are fighting a civil war because they cannot meet the basic needs of the humans. It seems they are fighting over resources, not only religious beliefs. The religious sects use the religion to bolster the numbers on each side so they can gain desirable living standards. So if the standards where brought at least back up to where they were, power, water, sewers, food, and medicine, the fighting would decrease significantly. With that foundation, they can then start to work on the other main problems, employment and education. There is 40% unemployment, which means they need work. So lets help them find ways to market products from Iraq and Afghanistan globally to create industry. This will take time, but it does not have to take soldiers.


It is just common sense to me that if the funding for the initiation and continuation of war should be used to cure the social economic scratches we have here. It is time for the US to step up, and start being the model the world can look up to. How can we tell other countries what works when we have not mastered it ourselves? What about our homeless? What about our hungry people? Does everyone have healthcare? How many unemployed do we have here? There is a change happening in the global economy right now, a transition that is going to see the expansion of local economies into a global marketing position. The internet transcends all language and religious barriers when as it pertains to marketing. We are in a position now where a human can take a picture of a product, put it one the internet, and translate the text into regional dialects in desired markets. You see, the Egyptians had the right idea with hieroglyphs, a picture is a picture.


The internet has also opened us up to a new kind of politics, town hall democracy on a nationwide scale. The thing is that because we have adapted our economy to accommodate industry the byproduct is that we can utilize the existing tools within the system to make adjustments to the system.

There is this line in Article V of the US Constitution, which pertains to amending the constitution. It goes like this:
"…when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof…"
When I was very young I went to a private school, and we were taught constitutional law and drilled on our rights, so that we knew them inside and out. The statement "or by conventions in three fourths thereof" the word "conventions" can be defined as a gathering of the people, "three fourths" we know to be 75%, so it translates to if 75% of the people want an amendment, then it becomes an amendment.


So, given the ease with which a legal signature can be obtained these days, (via internet, email, phone, fax, in person), if we really felt that we figured out a better way to do something, like say healthcare, we could simply do it instead of ask a lobby influenced and corrupt system to do it for us.

I guess what I am trying to say is that if we want to stop the war we can. Think about what was accomplished in the 1960's early 70's in the anti war movement, in this day in age a protest could turn into an amendment. There aint nothing to it but to do it.

Would you sign a petition to end the war that was gathered outside traditional political means, or would you rather let the politicians make the decisions?

Answer 3

Ummm, both. A Representative Democracy-the majority selects our leaders but a Republic because individual rights count. For instance, the neighbors can't vote to split up the other neighbor's land for themselves. Or, people may vote for the discrimination in schools but individual rights trump the majority. The United States relies on representative democracy, but its system of government is much more complex than that. It is not a simple representative democracy, but a constitutional republic in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law.

Answer 4

It is a Federal Republic. A true democracy every citizen votes on every issue of government. Since we have a representative form of government we are a republic.

Answer 5

It is a republic. Government’s function should not be to level the people to an equal mediocrity, but to ensure a level playing field upon which added effort or superior talent results in increased reward. That is the philosophy that built America and made it great.

Answer 6

The United States is a democratic republic, also known as a representative democracy. I think that because it is fact.

Answer 7

It's a Republic, with democratically elected representatives. We don't vote on every little issue, but we vote on which people do.

Answer 8

Hell, most people don't even realize that the popular vote in the presidential is nothing more than a collosal waste of time and resources. THE PUBLIC DOES NOT ELECT THE PRESIDENT.

Answer 9

Representative democracy.

Out of the choices you've given, however, republic. We elect a leader to represent us. That's not a democracy, it's a republic.

Answer 10

Its a sham, thats what. Did anyone ask YOU if you wanted us to go to war? Did anyone ask YOU if you wanted to build a wall between the US and Mexico? Did anyone ask YOU if we should legalize drugs and prostitution? NO, they didn't, because in the US we elect politicians to their term and they're free to do whatever the $%^# they want for their term unless a legal team, at great expense to us taxpayers, impeaches them. Look to Switzerland or Denmark for true democracy. They get to vote on everything.