Democracy in America

James Firth

POS110

July 20, 2010

John Gulyas
 What is Democracy? Why does the American Government insist that such democratic

allegiances be spread throughout the world? Why, does the United States army shoot off

thousands of bombs to places like Baghdad all in the name of democracy? Every soldier in his or

her life asks themselves, is an established democracy in a foreign land worth dying for?

Going back to the democracy already put forth in America (where thousands of soldiers

have died to sustain the freedom of the Constitution), one can arrive at a glimpse of this by

studying history of the undertakings of a drawn out process of tyranny to a republic to the current

situation that is formally known as a democracy.

“Democracy by definition means government by the people. That means that all the

people should be able to have their say in one way another in everything that affects their lives”

(Kolar, para. 2, 2010). In the following paper will be a description of the challenges of

democracy, the intentions of the Constitution, the responsibility of the Electoral College, the

difference between civil liberty and civil rights, how bills become laws, the role a president

plays, the cause and effect of a bureaucratic influence, and appointing of Federal Judges by the

president.
 Challenges of Democracy
Challenges of democracy are too vast to consume in one paper. The difference of

opinions the population has contributes to the majority of the problems. Whereas some believe

the government should play a major role in an individual’s life, others completely disagree.

“Traditional democratic theory holds that ordinary citizens have the good sense to reach political

judgments and that government has the capacity to act on those judgments. Today, however, we

live in a society of experts whose technical knowledge overshadows the knowledge of the

general population” (Edwards, Warrenberg, & Lineberry, pg. 16, 2008).

This way of thinking leads many politicians to believe that they are smarter than the

average American. This can result in a corruption filled government with notions of being

superior to their fellow man or woman. Already with an elite mentality, these politicians can

greatly affect the future of the United States.

Rather than assuming that the American people are useless, a rationale should be

instituted that forces the American people to learn of such topics like welfare, agricultural price

supports, and foreign policy. One will never see this in America because politicians like the fact

that the people do not know these topics so they can freely move around without gaining much

attention. The following quote by Henry Ford denotes the democratic system into today’s

society……

“It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary

system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.”

- Henry Ford
Taken from http://amtruth.com/NWOquotes1 para 3
 The Framers Intentions
The intentions put forth by individuals like George Washington and James Madison

(among other influential members of the government) were to coincide with the freedoms which

were given by God; instilled into the minds of men and women who fought courageously against

the tyrannical dictatorship of the English Parliament during the late 1700s.

The Founder Fathers anticipated the future even to this day with laws and rights ensuring

that the people of the United States were to be given a fair chance in all aspects. “The Supreme

Court continually interprets the U.S. Constitution so as to reflect a rapidly changing world; its

basic tenets have remained virtually unchanged since its inception, and unchallenged as well”

(Constitution Facts, para 1, 2010).

The advantages and disadvantages of the Constitution are intricately balanced. While Neo

Nazis are allowed to preach their hate doctrine (disadvantage of free speech), anti-war protestors

are allowed to speak their minds about important issues that are destroying the nation. A

suggestion in this scenario would not be to imply that certain individuals need to stay within the

confines of supposedly free speech zones but instead the people needs to understand that in order

for free speech to reign supreme, all must be allowed to protest rather an individual likes it or

not.
 Civil Rights and Liberties
The advantages of having rights and liberties are of major importance. The Constitution

is merely a tool as to keep the government on a chain so to speak. “The legal area known as

"civil rights" has traditionally revolved around the basic right to be free from unequal treatment

based on certain protected characteristics (race, gender, disability, etc.) in settings such as

employment and housing” (FindLaw, pg. 1, 2010).

These certain protections can also be remnant of liberties brought to the people of

America, not by the Founding Fathers, but the creator of the universe. The difference between

the rights and liberties is that the liberties range from both the Bill of Rights and the Constitution

whereas civil rights is a legal term used to denote a sense of balance between nation, race,

gender, etc.

To understand the disadvantages of civil rights & liberties, just look at the death of

Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, or even the Black Panther Leaders who were slain all in the

name of civil rights. These individuals grew tired of the brutality by the government and decided

it was in their best interest for them and their people to stand up and say no!

To provide a rationale for such insidious actions set forth by the government is unheard

of; however the elite have learned that the best way to stop a movement is to dish money out to

these individuals. No wonder there are no African American leaders today but instead 100

different rap artists who make millions of dollars talking about murdering and doing drugs. This

needs to stop!
 Electoral College……Good or Bad?
When people hear the term Electoral College, they immediately think of a specific place

within the United States. “The Electoral College, administered by the National Archives and

Records Administration (NARA), is not a place. It is a process that began as part of the original

design of the U.S. Constitution. The Electoral College was established by the Founding Fathers

as a compromise between election of the president by Congress and election by popular vote”

(NARA, para. 1, 2010).

The problem with the Electoral College is that it does not properly contrast the majority

votes of the people as one could witness during 2000 with the Al Gore and Bush Jr. election.

“According to a Gallup poll in 2000, taken shortly after Al Gore -- thanks to the quirks of the

Electoral College -- won the popular vote but lost the presidency, over 60 percent of voters

would prefer a direct election to the kind we have now” (Mother Jones, pg 1, 2004).

This is in relation to the faults put forth by the US Government. It would be wise for

America people to rise up and strongly urge the House, Senate, and Congress to take immediate

action concerning the way the voting system works. To begin to rationalize this misconception of

Bush Jr. winning an election when the majority wanted Gore proves beyond a reasonable doubt

that something fishy is happening in Washington.

 The Law of the Land
Bills are capable of being passed only if the earmarks are worthy of a politician’s time.

An example of this is when one or two politicians tend to want to change the way the process

works in Washington so they introduce a couple of bills here and there and nothing comes about.

Then one of these politicians decides to pull a couple of strings for some friends and bingo, the

law has become enacted because half of the bill is filled with earmarks, which literally means a

favor for a favor. Do the people of America prosper from such favors? Of course not, the only

ones who prosper are the government officials themselves.

To counteract with such treacherous tyranny, the people of the United States need to

stand up and scream “we are not going to take it any longer; we are sick and tired of this

corruption!” Some of these bills like the Patriot Act are more than 2000 pages which is then

given to the Congress. The Congress is then given a week or less to view, which most of them do

not and just sign away.

 The Role of the President
The role of the president can be confusing at times. Whether the president is busy reading

a teleprompter screen or playing golf, he always is busy with something. However, on television,

the president main role is to be “Chief Spokesman” of the United States. Now that the current

president is also president of the United Nations, he is more of an international president. So

does that question the sovereignty of the United States?

As reading the above paragraph, one can see a glimpse of what r transpires in the

Whitehouse; however, this is not the way most people perceive the situation. They see presidents

as great leaders. What needs to change in this country is a paradigm shift; a reality check. No

longer shall the American people tolerate foolishness. A rational for this is to limit the power for

the government. Rather than a Bill of Rights for the people, the government needs a Bill of

Rights that strictly adheres only for the government.

 Bureaucracy & Federal Courts in America

The imaginary red tape that surrounds the lives of every America is necessary to an

extent but concerning unnecessary bureaucracy, a slippery slope becomes evident. Bureaucrats

will come with new ways and intentions to better formulate their power while at the same

abusing the rights of every American citizen. Advantages of such notions is displayed threw

different aspects like traffic laws, human rights laws, and so forth.

As mentioned, disadvantages are when the government decides for the interest of the

people for matters like health care, immigration apparatus, and other situations involving Federal

Government.

What America needs is resolutions rather than quick fixes. In a time when the economy is

in bad shape, the government decides to implement a plan invoking individuals to pay for health

care when they do not even want it. In this is where bureaucracy needs to be stopped to the

fullest. The last thing the American Democracy needs is a health care program that is going to

cost billions of dollars.

In part, the Federal Courts play a major role in these regulations. They too are responsible

for the resolutions needed to be put forth. Rather than attempting to implement these resolutions,

they are busy fighting for amnesty amongst immigrations, and the right to shut down Internets

and ban books. This is all unnecessary bureaucracy that needs to be handled in a Constitutional

fashion.
 Conclusion
The topics in this paper are important to the sustainability to the ways of the Constitution

but without proper strategies, the topics themselves end up being dismantled and distorted

resulting in violation of civil rights.

The challenges of democracy are always florescent within a society that contains millions

of people. But in order to survive and maintain a sense of morality, the American people must

coincide with one another to fulfill the liberties a republic calls for.

The time has come when it is vitally important the American people rise before their

government in an attempt to display a sense of non complacency. The people have to ensure the

Government of the United States that they are mad as hell and are not going to take it any longer.

From Electoral College issues to the original intentions of the Founder Fathers, the

American people can find themselves in a whirlwind of confusing topics and ideals. However,

with the help of one another, the hope of the United States is not lost as of yet. Together, the

people of this great country can coexist in a world of harmony and peace, but only if the leaders

are put to a halt.

 References

Constitution Facts. (2010). Constitution. Retrieved from http://www.constitutionfacts.com/

Edwards, G., Warrenberg, M., & Lineberry, R. (2008). Government in America. Pearson

Education, CA: Longman.

FindLaw. (2010). Civil Liberties. Retrieved from http://public.findlaw.com/civil-rights/civil-

rights-basics/civil-rights-vs-liberties.html

Kolar, M. (2010). What is Democracy. Retrieved from http://www.whatisdemocracy.net/

Mother Jones. (2004). The Indefensible Electoral College. Retrieved from

http://motherjones.com/politics/2004/10/indefensible-electoral-college

NARA. (2010). What is the Electoral College. Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/federal-

register/electoral-college/about.html