| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
.
Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups
representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on
US government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest
groups have little or no independent influence.
In English: the wealthy few move policy, while the average American has
little power.
.
Obligatory point, the US is a Republic not a Democracy.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Obligatory metapoint: This is probably the least interesting argument that Electric Wizard's latest Thread of Joy could spawn.
.
Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups
representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on
US government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest
groups have little or no independent influence.In English: the wealthy few move policy, while the average American has
little power..
Interesting thought, if you could provide enough evidence (some articles on the study and such) I might even tend to agree, if said evidence was strong enough.
The study is from a couple of months ago. Hold on a sec...
Obligatory point, the US is a Republic not a Democracy.Obligatory counterpoint: The US is both a Republic and a Democracy.
It is in fact a Representative Democracy, not a Direct Democracy.
You can't be both, they are two different things. It would be like saying you are a cat and a dog.
The US is a Republic, it actually says so in the Constitution. If it is not a Republic, then it is the duty of the Military to overthrow the government and reinstate a Republic.
|
Obligatory point, the US is a Republic not a Democracy.Obligatory counterpoint: The US is both a Republic and a Democracy.
It is in fact a Representative Democracy, not a Direct Democracy.
You can't be both, they are two different things. It would be like saying you are a cat and a dog.
The US is a Republic, it actually says so in the Constitution. If it is not a Republic, then it is the duty of the Military to overthrow the government and reinstate a Republic.
No, it's a Democratic Republic, or at least it's supposed to be. It's entirely possible to be a republic and a democracy.
It is getting tiresome, honestly, to get the same idiot argument every single time when discussing the state of American democracy. "Uh uh uuuuh we're a republic so nyah". Truth is, being a democracy is not defined by what powers the head of state has or even what the system of government calls itself, but whether the highest officials of the state are elected (they are), if everyone gets to vote in these elections (they do, mostly), if anyone can run for office (they can, mostly), and so on. Sweden, Norway and Denmark are constitutional monarchies and no less democracies for all that. Democracy is also not a yes or no proposition, but a scale. Nobody has a perfectly democratic society, and it is unlikely anyone will. Still, America does democracy better than most, and is, whether you like it or not, a democracy. AND a republic.
Sissyl is 100% correct.
If you couldn't be both a democracy and a republic then republics would be s++!ty. Being "represented" by people in a central government who you are not actually able to elect is a bum deal.
It is getting tiresome, honestly, to get the same idiot argument every single time when discussing the state of American democracy. "Uh uh uuuuh we're a republic so nyah". Truth is, being a democracy is not defined by what powers the head of state has or even what the system of government calls itself, but whether the highest officials of the state are elected (they are), if everyone gets to vote in these elections (they do, mostly), if anyone can run for office (they can, mostly), and so on. Sweden, Norway and Denmark are constitutional monarchies and no less democracies for all that. Democracy is also not a yes or no proposition, but a scale. Nobody has a perfectly democratic society, and it is unlikely anyone will. Still, America does democracy better than most, and is, whether you like it or not, a democracy. AND a republic.
So I guess it's OK to say that I am going to play AD&D when I am in fact going to play Pathfinder?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
It is more like saying "No, the system you're playing can't be a tabletop roleplaying game AND a fantasy game, it has to be one or the other!!!!11oneone" EVERY SINGLE TIME someone says they are playing a fantasy RPG. It is wrong, useless and done to death and beyond by now, Vod. If you still think it is a relevant thing to preach, I suggest you read up a bit on what democracy means.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Yes, yes, it can only be a republic or a democracy, it can't be both, and there's no reason to think the Founding Plutocrats ever thought the two could be combined and they never, ever formed a party called the Democratic-Republicans, especially not within two years of the Constitution coming into play.