Why American Democracy Doesn't Work

[kooldood]

FIRST!!! Don’t go off with angry comments BEFORE you have read my post!!! Thank you.

I know many of you have been pointing out how socialism doesn’t work and stuff… not that I am a socialist (my personal politics are undecided), but, don’t you think you should first prove that American democrarcy (as in, democracy as practised in america), works?

This is why it doesn’t work.

First we have the “tyranny of the majority” (excuse me for quoting Marx). In this way, many minorities cannot be protected (e.i. Japanese-Americans during WWII). It is also too easy for the media and the goverment to stir up the people, often with disatrous results (the xenophobia of post 9/11). The people, too often, approve or disapprove of actions that are really not too smart. The best example of this would be in California: the people want to be tough on crime, but they don’t want to pay for the jails!

Second, we have what could be called the “tyranny of the supreme court/media”. These two always seem to be allied. If it hadn’t been for the supreme court, abortion would probably not have been legalized ever, or at least not in a longer time. Anybody noticed the gay-marriage case from San Fransisco that is expected to reach the Supreme Court? Deja Vu.

Lastly, what originally was a system of checks and balances has turned into a system of corruption and pork-barrels. For some reason, Delaware gets the same number of senators as Texas. And then, if the Delaware senator decides to put in some pork into the next bill, its so easy to do it. It is so easy for the goverment to become corrupt.

Ok, so that is my opinion why the American Democracy has failed. I am NOT COMMUNIST!!! Please, no Hitler or Soviet Union type comments. Please be charitable. And also, please prove me wrong. I think I want to believe in democracy.

 

[CPA2]

HOW ARE THE RIGHTS OF THE MINORITY PROTECTED? The state exists for the individual, not the individual for the state. The reason is that man has a soul. Because man has a soul, then he has certain inalienable rights given to him by God which governments cannot bestow or take away. The greatest of those rights is the right to life. Without the right to life there are no other rights.

There is a hierarchy of laws: the highest law is divine law, the second is natural law and last there is human law. Each of these three types of laws is separate, and you cannot substitute one type of law for another type of law. Islam tries to take religious laws and make them into human laws. Those laws are null and void. You cannot cross that line. One the other hand, the United States tries to take a human law, the right to abortion, and make it into a religious law. You cannot cross that line either. That is why the Roe versus Wade decision by the Supreme Court is null and void. That decision is not worth the paper it is written on. The Supreme Court does not have the authority to rule on a divine law, the right to life. Human laws and divine laws are separate and distinct. You cannot substitute one type of law for another type of law!

 

[CPA2]

Have you read the Declaration of Independence? It is not just a historical document. It is an unchanging document that holds the key to our freedom. We have lost sight of this document and have put our freedom into the precarious hands of the so-called “majority.”

I compare the Declaration of Independence to the articles of incorporation of a company, and the Constitution to the by-laws of a company. The moral laws of right and wrong are contained in the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution.

The source of the “rule of law” goes back to Divine Law. The Declaration of Independence uses the words, the “equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them.” What do these words really mean?

The ideas of the source of legitimate law were being formulated by the Catholic Church before the Magna Carta. Truth always goes back to the source of truth, which is public revelation, commonly known as the Holy Scriptures.

I repeat, ANY LAW IN TRANSGRESSION OF DIVINE LAW IS INVALID! An unjust law is not law at all! Such laws are to be defied because they do not exist. There is no basis for them. A recent example is Spain’s “laws” on marriages and adoptions. Pope Benedict has ordered citizens of Spain who work in adoption agencies to defy Spain’s new laws of illicit marriages and adoptions. Workers in adoption agencies are to refuse to fill out any paperwork or grant adoption of children to illicit and unnatural marriage unions. Spain’s new law disobeys natural law. NO HUMAN LAW AGAINST NATURAL LAW IS VALID!

I repeat myself again. There is Divine Law, Natural Law and Civil Law, in that order. Man only has control over civil law. Each type of law is separate and you cannot substitute one type of law for another type of law.

 

[CPA2]

FIRST!!! Don’t go off with angry comments BEFORE you have read my post!!! Thank you.

I know many of you have been pointing out how socialism doesn’t work and stuff… not that I am a socialist (my personal politics are undecided), but, don’t you think you should first prove that American democrarcy (as in, democracy as practised in america), works?

This is why it doesn’t work.

First we have the “tyranny of the majority” (excuse me for quoting Marx). In this way, many minorities cannot be protected (e.i. Japanese-Americans during WWII). It is also too easy for the media and the goverment to stir up the people, often with disatrous results (the xenophobia of post 9/11). The people, too often, approve or disapprove of actions that are really not too smart. The best example of this would be in California: the people want to be tough on crime, but they don’t want to pay for the jails!

Second, we have what could be called the “tyranny of the supreme court/media”. These two always seem to be allied. If it hadn’t been for the supreme court, abortion would probably not have been legalized ever, or at least not in a longer time. Anybody noticed the gay-marriage case from San Fransisco that is expected to reach the Supreme Court? Deja Vu.

Lastly, what originally was a system of checks and balances has turned into a system of corruption and pork-barrels. For some reason, Delaware gets the same number of senators as Texas. And then, if the Delaware senator decides to put in some pork into the next bill, its so easy to do it. It is so easy for the goverment to become corrupt.

Ok, so that is my opinion why the American Democracy has failed. I am NOT COMMUNIST!!! Please, no Hitler or Soviet Union type comments. Please be charitable. And also, please prove me wrong. I think I want to believe in democracy.

American democracy has failed to the extent that we have government interference. American democracy has flourished to the extent that we have political and economic freedom.

The spirit of 1776 was economic and political freedom under God. Today’s spirit is socialism without God. James Madison said that the founding fathers gave us a democracy, IF we could keep it! He also said that laws were for a moral people. We are no longer a moral people.

 

[CPA2]

There has been a lot of economic research on the causes of the Great Depression. Read Milton Friedman’s book, “Free to Choose.” I think that he devotes a whole chapter to the subject. His conclusion was that the Great Depression was a failure of government. However, government policy since the 1930s has been based on the assumption that the Great Depression was a failure of capitalism. That assumption has given the government a mandate to attack private property and our freedoms.

 

[CPA2]

Jurors have the power to nullify bad laws. Jury nullification is when a jury acquits a person of a crime, even though it’s clear he committed the crime. Jurors may feel that the law is unjust, or the sentence will be too harsh, or because they feel the law is applied unfairly. Jury nullification does not change the law. Jurors just refuse to apply the law in a particular case.

Amendment VII of the Constitution guarantees that jury verdicts which nullify laws cannot be reviewed. The Supreme Court has affirmed this. A jury acquittal is final. Jurors are free to vote their conscience. Jurors cannot be prosecuted for their verdict.

 

[Spirithound]

First we have the “tyranny of the majority” (excuse me for quoting Marx). In this way, many minorities cannot be protected…!

Second, we have what could be called the “tyranny of the supreme court/media”. These two always seem to be allied…

Lastly, what originally was a system of checks and balances has turned into a system of corruption and pork-barrels. For some reason, Delaware gets the same number of senators as Texas. And then, if the Delaware senator decides to put in some pork into the next bill, its so easy to do it.

Unfortunately, your first point is attempted to be rectified by your second point. Tyranny of the majority is checked by the Constitution, which is applied by the Supreme Court (sometimes tyrannically).

But…
Winston Churchill:

Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those others that have been tried

What are the alternatives? Oligarchy? Monarch? Philosopher kings? At least by placing the power in the hands of the people, we can evolve as a society so we strive to be less tyrannical.

It is true that Delaware has the same number of senators as Texas, but this is another check. Texas has way more House Reps than Delaware, and so more Electoral Votes. It is my understanding (perhaps mistaken…I am Canadian) that money bills must originate in the House. Isn’t that correct?

 

[royal_archer]

FIRST!!! Don’t go off with angry comments BEFORE you have read my post!!! Thank you.

I know many of you have been pointing out how socialism doesn’t work and stuff… not that I am a socialist (my personal politics are undecided), but, don’t you think you should first prove that American democrarcy (as in, democracy as practised in america), works?

America (Federal) is not a democracy. It was established as constitutional republic that has since degraded in some areas to an oligarchy. The US is controlled by two political corporations, not the will of the people nor by the constitution.

This is why it doesn’t work.

First we have the “tyranny of the majority” (excuse me for quoting Marx). In this way, many minorities cannot be protected (e.i. Japanese-Americans during WWII). It is also too easy for the media and the goverment to stir up the people, often with disatrous results (the xenophobia of post 9/11).

Other minorities such as the working class (aka rich/wealthy) and middle age white males are also routinely discriminated against.

The people, too often, approve or disapprove of actions that are really not too smart. The best example of this would be in California: the people want to be tough on crime, but they don’t want to pay for the jails!

I don’t see those positions as being mutually exclusive. Jails are expensive holding pens and mechanisms to harden and train criminals. Perhaps we should seek alternatives that offer more bang for the buck.

Second, we have what could be called the “tyranny of the supreme court/media”. These two always seem to be allied. If it hadn’t been for the supreme court, abortion would probably not have been legalized ever, or at least not in a longer time. Anybody noticed the gay-marriage case from San Fransisco that is expected to reach the Supreme Court? Deja Vu.

The first Amendment protects the media from the government but nothing protects the government from the media, especially when we have highly organized mass media controlled by individuals who desire tyranny.

Lastly, what originally was a system of checks and balances has turned into a system of corruption and pork-barrels. For some reason, Delaware gets the same number of senators as Texas. And then, if the Delaware senator decides to put in some pork into the next bill, its so easy to do it. It is so easy for the goverment to become corrupt.

Each state and commonwealth gets the same representation in the senate because each was recognized as an independent entity just as each state in Europe was an independent entity prior to the formation of the European Union. The Federal government was put in place to provide a very limited number of services that the states felt would be cheaper to handle in a centralized manner. The federal government was never intended to be as intrusive as it became since the mid 1800’s. Think of the US government the way we think of NATO, an organization set up for mutual defense. Now imagine if NATO started taxing you as an individual and started to regulating your personal life? As for Texas vs Delaware, do you think china should have more votes in the UN than smaller countries?
The senate represents the will of the states and each state still holds a remnant of their individual independence through equality in the Senate.

Ok, so that is my opinion why the American Democracy has failed. I am NOT COMMUNIST!!! Please, no Hitler or Soviet Union type comments. Please be charitable. And also, please prove me wrong. I think I want to believe in democracy.

America has failed because individuals and the states have not been diligent in protecting their rights.

 

[1ke]

FIRST!!! Don’t go off with angry comments BEFORE you have read my post!!! Thank you.

I know many of you have been pointing out how socialism doesn’t work and stuff… not that I am a socialist (my personal politics are undecided), but, don’t you think you should first prove that American democrarcy (as in, democracy as practised in america), works?

Oh woe is me.

Do schools teaching nothing in civics class these days?

The United States of America is not a democracy. It is a Republic. That distinction is important. Please come back when you understand the difference.

 

[1ke]

The senate represents the will of the states and each state still holds a remnant of their individual independence through equality in the Senate.

The 17th Ammendment to the Constitution destroyed the sheer genius of the founding fathers as it regards the Senate.

 

[manualman]

+1 to Churchill:

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those others that have been tried.”

All of the criticisms of it are true, and all are worse in every other form of government. The fatal flaw not mentioned by the OP is likely to be the fact that the majority could eventually become so corrupt as to vote to take too much money from future generations (debt). Collapse ensues and the feudal system will likely return…

 

[Spirithound]

Collapse ensues and the feudal system will likely return…

…T-minus 13 years, 127 days, 8 hours, 17 minutes…

 

[crazzeto]

JPII was correct in his statements, Democracy works only in so far as it is guided by Christ. If it is, then it works, if it’s not then it becomes a dictatorship.

 

[kooldood]

Oh woe is me.

Do schools teaching nothing in civics class these days?

The United States of America is not a democracy. It is a Republic. That distinction is important. Please come back when you understand the difference.

Republic, then. It still has flaws. I get it, a republic is indirect, a democracy is direct voting. Sorry.

In the Rerum Novarum, the Pope points out how capitalism can fall apart if personal morality plays no part.

The question is, who says anybody is going to follow morality, especially in such an immoral society as in which we live today?

I know a Republic is probably the best option we have known, but really, is a republic the best we can come up with?

And for that matter, whether in a dicatorship or in a republic, if personal morality prevails, then everything will be perfect. In the words of… whoever it was, “goverment would not be necessary if men were angels”.

So a republic works if men are angels. So what? So does a dicatorship. But mean aren’t angels, so is there a better option out there?

Thanks anyway to everybody. I don’t mean to sound rude, which I might be sounding.

 

[CPA2]

Republic, then. It still has flaws. I get it, a republic is indirect, a democracy is direct voting. Sorry.

In the Rerum Novarum, the Pope points out how capitalism can fall apart if personal morality plays no part.

The question is, who says anybody is going to follow morality, especially in such an immoral society as in which we live today?

I know a Republic is probably the best option we have known, but really, is a republic the best we can come up with?

And for that matter, whether in a dicatorship or in a republic, if personal morality prevails, then everything will be perfect. In the words of… whoever it was, “goverment would not be necessary if men were angels”.

So a republic works if men are angels. So what? So does a dicatorship. But mean aren’t angels, so is there a better option out there?

Thanks anyway to everybody. I don’t mean to sound rude, which I might be sounding.

The great evil of our time is the divorce of the Bill of Rights from the Constitution. The Bill of Rights is the conscience of the Constitution. However, today the Constitution stands alone and judges have become the conscience of the Constitution. That is illegal!

 

[CPA2]

Communism is capitalism gone mad!

Monopolies cannot live without the power of government. I am only aware of one monopoly in the west that has survived without the backing of government, Debeers. I challenge you to name more than one monopoly in the west that exists without the support of government! Good luck.

Communism is a complete philosophy of life. Communism is different from all other secular systems. Unlike other secular systems, Communism seeks to control man’s inner life. Communism is a doctrine of salvation! It wants to control the whole man, body and soul!

Congress believes in salvation by law. If only there were a perfect law, there would be a perfect society. The SEC gives detailed reasons why rules-based accounting standards are subject to manipulation. Wow! I never thought that the SEC would admit that rules do not work. There is an old cliché that says that the tighter you hold on to a fistful of sand, the more that the sand slips through your fingers.

Communism is the final logic of dehumanization of man, such as we find in the practice of abortion. Communist China practices abortion on a grand scale, and so does the United States. I think that Communist China has found an ally in the United States in carrying out its abuses of dehumanization!

 

[corinne333]

i think it is the new world oder who want to destroy the USA’s government, so they can have a one world government.