CallmeClark said:
Umm Again, forgive my interruption... Who's in a democracy? Certainly not us here in the states. This is a Representative Republic. There is a difference.
This is where I would normally yell, BINGO!
The USA was formed as a Democratic Republic or if you prefer a Representational Democracy. The goverment was based on the English system of equal representation in the Parlement. The average man does not have the time or the faculties to manage the government, so we are "empowered" with the ability to elect "representatives" to act on our behalf. They run the government by a broad "power of attorney" type authority. The founders also sensed that the government could not function as a "popular opinion" mandate. Jefferson, Adams and Hamilton knew that the "opinions" of men could be controled through "deception" and "spin doctoring"
The Electorial College was created to repel the "effects" of "popular voting cliques". It also helps keep a powerful elite in leadership positions. This is to prevent Mickey Mouse or Homer Simpson from the elected government. It is a "paradox" because the "voting college" is both the "sustaining" body and the "weakest link" of our goverment. The trade off is while we can keep the Homer Simpsons out, we severly limit our choice to canidates that can survive the primaries, as opposed to who can do the best job.
Our government in not designed to run on "partisan alliences". It is designed to run through a "balance of powers" distributed through; Legislative, Judicial and Exective officers....The touble starts when, the "Executive" branch which is designed to be the "caretaker of the constitution" wants more of the legislative (law making) power reserved (by the constitution) for congress. Ideally, this is where the Judicial branch would rule on the "constitutionality" of the executive power grab. Some would argue that, the legislative branch would move too slowly in an emergency (surprize attack), so the executive needs more "power" to better "secure" our "domestic liberties".Any emergencies are designed to be "handled" by the Department of Defense, which can act through the military to protect our government. The DOD/military (under the orders of the exective branch) is still ultimately answerable to congress, as is the president.
The lynchpin is that once the judicial branch has been filled with judges appointed ( for life!) by the sitting president, they "may" be subject to a conflict of interest. This "imbalance of power"
could then lead a democratic society towards despotism. Where the top executive can cite "privlidge of office" and not be accountable to congressional review.
This is what we have today, what you call a
representative republic The government "by" the people, "for" the people and "of" the people is now regulated by a "power elite" as to who has equal opportunity to which equal rights. Where security is a weapon against Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness!
