U.S.A:democracy or republic?

[Master jedi]

I don't know if this is the right form, but here it goes. Some people at my school think that U.S.A is a republic with democratic standards. Me and some other people think that is we are a democracy. A group of city states is what a republic is right? So I want to know what you people think. Is U.S.A. a democracy or a republic?

[Nietzsche]

Originally Posted by Master jedi

I don't know if this is the right form, but here it goes. Some people at my school think that U.S.A is a republic with democratic standards. Me and some other people think that is we are a democracy. A group of city states is what a republic is right? So I want to know what you people think. Is U.S.A. a democracy or a republic?

Well, you could call the US a Representative Democracy. It was originally designed to be a Republic, however, due to it's sheer size & expanse, the conversion to Democracy was inevitable.

[Twilight Wolf]

A representative democracy is a republic.

[Virtigo]

It is a constitutional republic.

The founding fathers found it wise to keep the power of the absolute vote out of the hands of the common citizen and have learned intermediary representatives in his place.

A democracy, contrary to all the flag-waving spin, could and would lead to a pretty tyrannical government as it did Athens (for all their pride in democracy was just as cruel and oppressive as any kingdom - simply by the wrath of popular vote).

[Nietzsche]

Originally Posted by Virtigo

It is a constitutional republic.

The founding fathers found it wise to keep the power of the absolute vote out of the hands of the common citizen and have learned intermediary representatives in his place.

A democracy, contrary to all the flag-waving spin, could and would lead to a pretty tyrannical government as it did Athens (for all their pride in democracy was just as cruel and oppressive as any kingdom - simply by the wrath of popular vote).

Eh. No, it's a federal republic.

[Virtigo]

It's a Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic.

The Constitutional being the important part, with federal being a gradual end.

[Lantean]

"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"

- Pledge of Allegiance

[Daemonius]

Originally Posted by Blizzaga

"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"

- Pledge of Allegiance

Enough said, save for the fact that "Justice for All" isn't really correct...

[Nietzsche]

Originally Posted by Blizzaga

"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"

- Pledge of Allegiance

...you quote that like it means something. If anything in America, we've learned that our founding documents mean nothing to our leaders.

[Lantean]

...you quote that like it means something. If anything in America, we've learned that our founding documents mean nothing to our leaders.

It means something to me.

[Nietzsche]

Originally Posted by Blizzaga

It means something to me.

Yes, well, you got the pledge wrong(slightly).

The 1892 version is much better.

“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.”

Quite nice as to how it rolls off the tongue. But why do we have a pledge? We're the only modern western nation with one. The only other 2 nations to have one in the Modern West were Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany..

[Lantean]

Well, see, I'm a firm believer that the United States is a nation under God. But we're not here to argue that, are we?

I prefer the version we have now.

[Hombre de Mundo]

^ Wouldn't you believe that all nations are nations under God?

Just curious.

[Lantean]

Originally Posted by Hombre

^ Wouldn't you believe that all nations are nations under God?

All of them except for Sweden, which is under Ra.

Well duh, of course I think all nations are under God.

[Nietzsche]

Originally Posted by Blizzaga

All of them except for Sweden, which is under Ra.

Well duh, of course I think all nations are under God.

Pish-posh. France is one nation, above God. Germany is one nation under der Kaiser, which puts them somewhere inbetween, or at-level-with.

[Akira]

Originally Posted by Nietzsche

Quite nice as to how it rolls off the tongue. But why do we have a pledge? We're the only modern western nation with one. The only other 2 nations to have one in the Modern West were Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany..

Why not point out that before Nazi Germany rolled around and pissed everyone off (and America joined the war), America used the Roman Salute? Pic.

America is most certainly a Republic. Being in a democracy would suck. Can you imagine having to vote on every single little thing?

...Not to mention the fact that lots of people wouldn't, namely lower class and lots of middle class, since there wouldn't be time to do it frequently. Therefore, it would be a lot more biased a system then the Republican system. (I mean that not in the sense of political parties, of course... but major parties are stupid.)

[Nietzsche]

Originally Posted by Akira

Why not point out that before Nazi Germany rolled around and pissed everyone off (and America joined the war), America used the Roman Salute? Pic.

America is most certainly a Republic. Being in a democracy would suck. Can you imagine having to vote on every single little thing?

...Not to mention the fact that lots of people wouldn't, namely lower class and lots of middle class, since there wouldn't be time to do it frequently. Therefore, it would be a lot more biased a system then the Republican system. (I mean that not in the sense of political parties, of course... but major parties are stupid.)

I'd rather have a parliamentary republic. I don't want to vote for people, I want to vote for parties. That have my views. Maybe then we wouldn't be stuck with 2 sides of the same coin.

[Akira]

I don't think the difference would be all that big, really, unless the bi-partisan system broke and we suddenly had more parties worth mentioning.

[Nietzsche]

Originally Posted by Akira

I don't think the difference would be all that big, really, unless the bi-partisan system broke and we suddenly had more parties worth mentioning.

One can wish.

[Akira]

Well, yeah, certainly. I'm sure you can guess that I'd like to see the bi-partisan system die. Democrats, Republicans, whatever. They're all the same, really.

[Igna]

If one uses the strictest sense of the word democracy, the US is nowhere close to one.

If one uses the looser and more commonly used sense of the word democracy...a republic is a democracy.

[GDwarf]

I kinda think that any serious discussion that's going to happen already has.

The US is a republic, which makes it a kind of democracy in most definitions.