Text of president's speech to children

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Schmide

Diamond Member
Mar 7, 2002
5,728
1,019
126
Originally posted by: blackangst1
Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield

I agree on that. But you have to understand why they believe that shit, they believe it because they will vote in whatever direction the wind blows, which is an analogy of how voters feel and what media portrays, just in case you didn't get the analogy.

Bullshit. We are a republic, not a democracy.

BTW Representative Democracy is the way the founding fathers described our Republic. You are pushing an unnecessary mutually exclusive definition upon the term democracy.
 

b0mbrman

Lifer
Jun 1, 2001
29,470
1
81
Originally posted by: blackangst1
Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield

I agree on that. But you have to understand why they believe that shit, they believe it because they will vote in whatever direction the wind blows, which is an analogy of how voters feel and what media portrays, just in case you didn't get the analogy.

Bullshit. We are a republic, not a democracy.

True. Voters can't kick you out of office but once every two years, but as July and August have shown, they sure can make it difficult to get other Congressional work done when they disagree with you :)
 

b0mbrman

Lifer
Jun 1, 2001
29,470
1
81
Originally posted by: blackangst1
Originally posted by: b0mbrman


Yeah, who cares about what constituents believe, right? It's not like they can vote you out of office

You need a civics lesson. In a true democracy, those we vote into office would be voting according to their contituant's votes. When is the last time you got a ballot regarding a federal issue? When is the last time your senator asked you what you thought? Never. A republic on the other hand, we elect people into office to make votes and decisions FOR us. The legal and literal difference is great.

I imagine you could use a contemporary civics lesson because the difference between theory and practice is even greater.
 

b0mbrman

Lifer
Jun 1, 2001
29,470
1
81
Originally posted by: blackangst1
Originally posted by: b0mbrman


Yeah, who cares about what constituents believe, right? It's not like they can vote you out of office

You need a civics lesson. In a true democracy, those we vote into office would be voting according to their contituant's votes. When is the last time you got a ballot regarding a federal issue? When is the last time your senator asked you what you thought? Never. A republic on the other hand, we elect people into office to make votes and decisions FOR us. The legal and literal difference is great.

Oh, and no senator has ever asked me what I thought, but many voters have let their Congressional representatives know what they think without prompting. When a member's staff can be outnumbered by callers at a rate of tens of thousands (or hundreds of thousands in the case of a senator) to one, it's not hard to see that our republic can turn into a practical democracy very quickly.
 
Jun 26, 2007
11,925
2
0
Originally posted by: blackangst1
Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield

I agree on that. But you have to understand why they believe that shit, they believe it because they will vote in whatever direction the wind blows, which is an analogy of how voters feel and what media portrays, just in case you didn't get the analogy.

Bullshit. We are a republic, not a democracy.

You honestly don't understand how your own political system works? You have a representative democracy just like every other first world country.

Stating that you are a republic, not a monarchy would make a hell of a lot more sense but obviously you don't know what any of the word means.
 

blackangst1

Lifer
Feb 23, 2005
22,902
2,359
126
Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield
Originally posted by: blackangst1
Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield

I agree on that. But you have to understand why they believe that shit, they believe it because they will vote in whatever direction the wind blows, which is an analogy of how voters feel and what media portrays, just in case you didn't get the analogy.

Bullshit. We are a republic, not a democracy.

You honestly don't understand how your own political system works? You have a representative democracy just like every other first world country.

Stating that you are a republic, not a monarchy would make a hell of a lot more sense but obviously you don't know what any of the word means.

Obviously you've experienced too much close range gunfire. Or your post was to yourself.

Or both.

Difference between a democracy and a republic

By definition, a republic is a political unit governed by a charter, while a democracy is a government whose prevailing force is always that of the majority. Perhaps one of the difficulties in defining these two words, namely democracy and republic, stems from the fact that many consider them synonyms, which they aren?t. They are no more alike than an apple and a banana, and yet they are often used interchangeably.

The difference between a republic and a democracy lies in the ultimate source of official power. In the case of a republic, it lies with a charter; in a democracy, with the rule of the majority. And yet they are often lumped together. Consider the words to the United States' Pledge of Allegiance, which adds to some of the confusion by proudly touting: ?And to the republic for which its stands, one nation under God, indivisible,? Was this the dream of America's forefathers? Even if it was, isn't the US, the epitome of the word democracy?

Yes it is and no it isn't. In a democracy, to decide on an issue, the question is put to the vote of the population and the majority of those votes determine the outcome. In essence, a democracy is only as free as its people deem it to be. In an extreme state of ignorance and apathy, a democracy can be just as tyrannical as the regime of the most tyrannical dictator who ever walked the face the earth.

In seeking clarification between a democracy and a republic, look no further than the names of American political parties and how they loosely define their boundaries. If nothing else, the names republican and democrat are definitely about a Republican?s looser view of government and a Democrat?s centralized one. In a republic, people may vote for their representatives, but the state?s responsibilities are limited because they are clearly bound by a charter. Freedom is realized by the willingness of the people to live by the dictates of the charter. The republic?s charter protects the individual?s rights.

The detailed organization of the government of a republic can vary widely, but in most cases, the head of state, as it is in France, for example, is referred to as the president. In republics, which are also democracies, the head of state is always appointed as the result of either a direct or indirect election. In the case of some republics, such as Switzerland and San Marino, the head of state is actually a committee of several persons in aggregate. Republics can be led by a head of state that retains many characteristics of a monarch, as in some instances the president may rule for the duration of his life. Such an example would be the Syrian Arab Republic.

Republics and democracies represent two forms representative government out of many found in the world today. The rights of the individual are always protected, no matter how they are represented.

 
Jun 26, 2007
11,925
2
0
Originally posted by: blackangst1
Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield
Originally posted by: blackangst1
Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield

I agree on that. But you have to understand why they believe that shit, they believe it because they will vote in whatever direction the wind blows, which is an analogy of how voters feel and what media portrays, just in case you didn't get the analogy.

Bullshit. We are a republic, not a democracy.

You honestly don't understand how your own political system works? You have a representative democracy just like every other first world country.

Stating that you are a republic, not a monarchy would make a hell of a lot more sense but obviously you don't know what any of the word means.

Obviously you've experienced too much close range gunfire. Or your post was to yourself.

Or both.

Difference between a democracy and a republic

By definition, a republic is a political unit governed by a charter, while a democracy is a government whose prevailing force is always that of the majority. Perhaps one of the difficulties in defining these two words, namely democracy and republic, stems from the fact that many consider them synonyms, which they aren?t. They are no more alike than an apple and a banana, and yet they are often used interchangeably.

The difference between a republic and a democracy lies in the ultimate source of official power. In the case of a republic, it lies with a charter; in a democracy, with the rule of the majority. And yet they are often lumped together. Consider the words to the United States' Pledge of Allegiance, which adds to some of the confusion by proudly touting: ?And to the republic for which its stands, one nation under God, indivisible,? Was this the dream of America's forefathers? Even if it was, isn't the US, the epitome of the word democracy?

Yes it is and no it isn't. In a democracy, to decide on an issue, the question is put to the vote of the population and the majority of those votes determine the outcome. In essence, a democracy is only as free as its people deem it to be. In an extreme state of ignorance and apathy, a democracy can be just as tyrannical as the regime of the most tyrannical dictator who ever walked the face the earth.

In seeking clarification between a democracy and a republic, look no further than the names of American political parties and how they loosely define their boundaries. If nothing else, the names republican and democrat are definitely about a Republican?s looser view of government and a Democrat?s centralized one. In a republic, people may vote for their representatives, but the state?s responsibilities are limited because they are clearly bound by a charter. Freedom is realized by the willingness of the people to live by the dictates of the charter. The republic?s charter protects the individual?s rights.

The detailed organization of the government of a republic can vary widely, but in most cases, the head of state, as it is in France, for example, is referred to as the president. In republics, which are also democracies, the head of state is always appointed as the result of either a direct or indirect election. In the case of some republics, such as Switzerland and San Marino, the head of state is actually a committee of several persons in aggregate. Republics can be led by a head of state that retains many characteristics of a monarch, as in some instances the president may rule for the duration of his life. Such an example would be the Syrian Arab Republic.

Republics and democracies represent two forms representative government out of many found in the world today. The rights of the individual are always protected, no matter how they are represented.

That was good for a laugh, look at the US current political system and tell me, does it follow that at all in reality?

And the point was that your republic is in fact a representative democracy shaped after Englands except you don't have the house of commons.
 

b0mbrman

Lifer
Jun 1, 2001
29,470
1
81
Originally posted by: blackangst1
Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield
Originally posted by: blackangst1
Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield

I agree on that. But you have to understand why they believe that shit, they believe it because they will vote in whatever direction the wind blows, which is an analogy of how voters feel and what media portrays, just in case you didn't get the analogy.

Bullshit. We are a republic, not a democracy.

You honestly don't understand how your own political system works? You have a representative democracy just like every other first world country.

Stating that you are a republic, not a monarchy would make a hell of a lot more sense but obviously you don't know what any of the word means.

Obviously you've experienced too much close range gunfire. Or your post was to yourself.

Or both.

Difference between a democracy and a republic

By definition, a republic is a political unit governed by a charter, while a democracy is a government whose prevailing force is always that of the majority. Perhaps one of the difficulties in defining these two words, namely democracy and republic, stems from the fact that many consider them synonyms, which they aren?t. They are no more alike than an apple and a banana, and yet they are often used interchangeably.

The difference between a republic and a democracy lies in the ultimate source of official power. In the case of a republic, it lies with a charter; in a democracy, with the rule of the majority. And yet they are often lumped together. Consider the words to the United States' Pledge of Allegiance, which adds to some of the confusion by proudly touting: ?And to the republic for which its stands, one nation under God, indivisible,? Was this the dream of America's forefathers? Even if it was, isn't the US, the epitome of the word democracy?

Yes it is and no it isn't. In a democracy, to decide on an issue, the question is put to the vote of the population and the majority of those votes determine the outcome. In essence, a democracy is only as free as its people deem it to be. In an extreme state of ignorance and apathy, a democracy can be just as tyrannical as the regime of the most tyrannical dictator who ever walked the face the earth.

In seeking clarification between a democracy and a republic, look no further than the names of American political parties and how they loosely define their boundaries. If nothing else, the names republican and democrat are definitely about a Republican?s looser view of government and a Democrat?s centralized one. In a republic, people may vote for their representatives, but the state?s responsibilities are limited because they are clearly bound by a charter. Freedom is realized by the willingness of the people to live by the dictates of the charter. The republic?s charter protects the individual?s rights.

The detailed organization of the government of a republic can vary widely, but in most cases, the head of state, as it is in France, for example, is referred to as the president. In republics, which are also democracies, the head of state is always appointed as the result of either a direct or indirect election. In the case of some republics, such as Switzerland and San Marino, the head of state is actually a committee of several persons in aggregate. Republics can be led by a head of state that retains many characteristics of a monarch, as in some instances the president may rule for the duration of his life. Such an example would be the Syrian Arab Republic.

Republics and democracies represent two forms representative government out of many found in the world today. The rights of the individual are always protected, no matter how they are represented.

Everyone knows what the difference is between the two. Everyone is also capable of looking out their window at real life.
 

Schmide

Diamond Member
Mar 7, 2002
5,728
1,019
126
Looking for pure Democracy, Capitalism, Socialism, Communism is an effort even a Feudalist would find futile.

Edit: I thought this was cool Democracy Index
 

OCGuy

Lifer
Jul 12, 2000
27,224
37
91
:confused: So are we supposed to feel all warm and fuzzy about America now over a speech?
 
Jun 26, 2007
11,925
2
0
Originally posted by: OCguy
:confused: So are we supposed to feel all warm and fuzzy about America now over a speech?

Well, some people always seem to feel warm and fuzzy, it depends on whether the one holding the speech is Republican or Democrat and whether the listener is Republican or Democrat.

We abolished these often-coming speeches a long time ago since no one could ever keep the promises they made in them. ;)