Jeff Moden (11/1/2012)
Gosh. I would hope that people know that it's not a Democracy. It's a Republic (well, it's supposed to be... I think "plutocracy" is probably more accurate in this day and age). Even says so right in the "Pledge of Allegiance".
Nothing stops it being both a republic and a democracy except that it has become a plutocracy so it isn't a democracy. Half a century ago it was a republican democracy, a genuine democratic republic (have to include the word "genuine" there, as the phrase "democratic republic" without the word "genuine" has been horribly tainted by all the totalitarian governments who called their countries that despite being neither democratic nor a republic) but now it's fast becoming a plutocratic republic.
Of course the words "republican" and "democrat" now have a very specific party-political meaning in the USA and their use in that party-political sense no longer has much (if any) connection with the normal meanings of those words, but their use in that sense isn't designed to mislead as was their use by totalitarians.
All that aside and whatever you want to call it and whatever problems we may have, I'm pretty happy that I live here. 😉 So.... how about you take it just a little easier on my country, please?
Oh, I rather like the USA myself. It has a lot of good points, a lot going for it. But I don't take it easy on people/things that I like and care about - that would be an abdication of the obligations of a friend - I speak up when there's something wrong.
So I'll continue to rail against the ongoing drift into plutocracy, the ridiculous extensions of copyright, the contemptible patent system, and the disgraceful excesses of the immigration service - much as I have always railed against the numerous faults in my own country.
Tom