quote:
Originally posted by THEMONK:
quote:
Originally posted by Baboy Ako:
We are nowhere near a dictatorship, and if you study them, you will understand that.
As to the "life of a democracy", it doesn't apply to the U.S. where we have a representative republic.
Two completely different animals.
Now that we can get back to the topic at hand; can you please explain the differences that at you see between what is said about a democracy and how you see the U.S. as a representative republic? I really would like to hear more.
Here is a good explanation.
Some excerpts:
The chief characteristic and distinguishing feature of a Democracy is: Rule by Omnipotent Majority. In a Democracy, The Individual, and any group of Individuals composing any Minority, have no protection against the unlimited power of The Majority. It is a case of Majority-over-Man.
This is true whether it be a Direct Democracy, or a Representative Democracy.
Democracy, as a form of government, is utterly repugnant to--is the very antithesis of--the traditional American system: that of a Republic, and its underlying philosophy, as expressed in essence in the Declaration of Independence with primary emphasis upon the people’s forming their government so as to permit them to possess only "just powers" (limited powers) in order to make and keep secure the God-given, unalienable rights of each and every Individual and therefore of all groups of Individuals.
A Republic, on the other hand, has a very different purpose and an entirely different form, or system, of government. Its purpose is to control The Majority strictly, as well as all others among the people, primarily to protect The Individual’s God-given, unalienable rights and therefore for the protection of the rights of The Minority, of all minorities, and the liberties of people in general. The definition of a Republic is: a constitutionally limited government of the representative type, created by a written Constitution--adopted by the people and changeable (from its original meaning) by them only by its amendment--with its powers divided between three separate Branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Here the term "the people" means, of course, the electorate.
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Here is another good explanation.
Some excerpts:
Our Pledge of Allegiance states "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
In a Democracy, the sovereignty is in the whole body of the free citizens. The sovereignty is not divided to smaller units such as individual citizens. To solve a problem, only the whole body politic is authorized to act. Also, being citizens, individuals have duties and obligations to the government. The government's only obligations to the citizens are those legislatively pre-defined for it by the whole body politic.
In a Republic, the sovereignty resides in the people themselves, whether one or many. In a Republic, one may act on his own or through his representatives as he chooses to solve a problem. Further, the people have no obligation to the government; instead, the government being hired by the people, is obliged to its owner, the people.
The people own the government agencies. The government agencies own the citizens. In the United States we have a three-tiered cast system consisting of people ---> government agencies ---> and citizens.
The people did "ordain and establish this Constitution," not for themselves, but "for the United States of America." In delegating powers to the government agencies the people gave up none of their own. (See Preamble of U.S. Constitution). This adoption of this concept is why the U.S. has been called the "Great Experiment in self government." The People govern themselves, while their agents (government agencies) perform tasks listed in the Preamble for the benefit of the People. The experiment is to answer the question, "Can self-governing people coexist and prevail over government agencies that have no authority over the People?"
The citizens of the United States are totally subject to the laws of the United States (See 14th Amendment of U.S. Constitution). NOTE: U.S. citizenship did not exist until July 28, 1868.
Actually, the United States is a mixture of the two systems of government (Republican under Common Law, and democratic under statutory law). The People enjoy their God-given natural rights in the Republic. In a democracy, the Citizens enjoy only government granted privileges (also known as civil rights).
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FreeRepublic.com--------------------
Democracy or Republic?Excerpt:
AMERICA IS A REPUBLIC, a constitutional Republic of a democratic (one man - one vote) nature. However, WE ARE NOT A DEMOCRACY where the majority rules. THAT IS GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA DESIGNED TO CONDITION YOU TO ACCEPT THEIR INJUSTICE and believe that there is nothing that you can do about it. The difference between a Democracy and a Republic is that in a Republic there are certain things THAT CAN NEVER BE DONE NO MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE WANT TO DO IT ! The rights of no individual or group can ever be removed or diminished (because that group may be currently unpopular (for whatever reason)), regardless of how many people vote to do so. In a Republic, even if the vote is 250 million to 1, that one cannot be thrown into slavery. In a pure democracy 51% of the men can vote the other 49% back into slavery if they wish. Or, they can vote to steal your property (sound familiar), BUT NOT IN A REPUBLIC (if the Constitution or the law forbids it, which ours DOES). Our founding fathers HATED democracy, recognizing that it is nothing more than social slavery to the poular hysteria of the masses (sound familiar). They wanted a representative (democratic) system, BUT NOT A pure DEMOCRACY, and they did not establish a democracy in the Constitution, they established a REPUBLIC a Constitutional Republic.
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Republic? Democracy? What's the Difference?------------
Okay, I think that's enough reading for today. My brain's about to burst!
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Yes. I AM a pig.
