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Republic or Democracy


ComputerGuy

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Mexico is  democratic republic. So is the United States. Anyone trying to tell you different is playing at semantics. Here's a great quote:

We often hear people argue that the United States is a republic, not a democracy. But that’s a false dichotomy. A common definition of “republic” is, to quote the American Heritage Dictionary, “A political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them” — we are that. A common definition of “democracy” is, “Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives” — we are that, too.

The United States is not a direct democracy, in the sense of a country in which laws (and other government decisions) are made predominantly by majority vote. Some lawmaking is done this way, on the state and local levels, but it’s only a tiny fraction of all lawmaking. But we are a representative democracy, which is a form of democracy.

And indeed the American form of government has been called a “democracy” by leading American statesmen and legal commentators from the Framing on.

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Excellent explanation. Some US states have constitutions that allow for  direct citizen participation. California, for instance, allows voting on propositions that have gathered the minimum number of signatures of voters. If it passes, it becomes a law without their legislature or governor having any say in the matter. Most states have not opted for that. Actual "rights" of US citizens are articulated in the Constitution. If a Supreme Court decision has allowed or disallowed a law, that simply means until and unless a new decision by that court is reached, it is the law of the land and must be followed. Those wanting to make it an actual "right" should be working to amend the Constitution. The Supreme Court has no power to declare an amendment out of order. Thus, things like abortion, gay marriage and election finance matters (Citizens United, for example) have only currently been settled. Best to amend so that a future court cannot change things. Lincoln may have freed the slaves, but until the Constitution was amended, there was no guarantee. Note that the California Supreme Court has often ruled propositions passed by the voters as being unconstitutional, thus thwarting the will of the people. Their remedy is to amend their state Constitution.

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Are you talking about Mexico?  No.  It's back to the USA again.  Why?  As the mod pointed out, there is another web board where US political discussion is allowed as well as contentious exchanges, but those are confined to a segment available only to members. Both righties and lefties get to spout off. Why not go there and get this off your chests?  You'll probably feel better afterwards.

😄

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Pappys I wish we could have those discussions here but the board's owner is absolutely firm about that and frankly given how so many people just can't resist getting personally nasty with those who do not agree I would probably have to spend all my time moderating and deleting in one section.  It is too bad that we can't all remember at the end of the day we share this community and it is foolish to go on a chat board and make enemies over politics.

Closed.

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