Are the rich paying their 'fair' share?

[giblets]

Non-citizen residents can't vote. What's your point?

Slaves and freedmen in Athens couldn't vote. Guess that wasn't a democracy either.

Relative to Sparta I would call them democratic. By modern standards, no.

[Hauldren Collider]

The rule stems from the fact that European kings often came from foreign countries and were perceived as disloyal to the kingdoms they ruled.

[Al B. Sure!]

I knew that you can't become president if you are a non-citicen (wich is stupid), though, I haven't heard anything about that they can't vote.

Non-citizens can not vote. Even some of our citizens can not vote in federal elections (Puerto Ricans are US citizens).

What you're thinking of is naturalized citizens can not become president; people who were born elsewhere, came here, and became citizens. To be president, you have to be born a US citizen.

What could get complicated is that someone can be born a US citizen if at least one parent is a citizen but be born abroad. I don't think the law is clear on that.

John McCain was born in Panama but was born in the canal zone which was US territory at the time. I don't know if he would have been eligible to be president if he were born a few miles away in Panamanian territory.

[Jon Miller]

I knew that you can't become president if you are a non-citicen (wich is stupid), though, I haven't heard anything about that they can't vote.

Non-citizens can't vote.

Non-natural born citizens (whatever that means) can't be president.

JM

[Hauldren Collider]

Interesting. So if american aristocracy takes control of enough states, they can convert USA to a feudalistic socitey ?

They'd need a majority in both houses of 38 out of 50 states...and they can't remove the senate representation of any state without its consent, so actually, to truly eliminate the republic, they'd need a majority in all 50 states.

[BlackCat]

Non-citizen residents can't vote. What's your point?

I knew that you can't become president if you are a non-citicen (wich is stupid), though, I haven't heard anything about that they can't vote.

[BlackCat]

We are a constitutional republic.

Interesting. So if american aristocracy takes control of enough states, they can convert USA to a feudalistic socitey ?

[Al B. Sure!]

You are truly stupid. It doesn't matter what the Supreme Court thinks if the public decides to amend the Constitution. The US wasn't a democracy when the founding fathers were alive because they set up a system where only rich white men could vote.

Non-citizen residents can't vote. What's your point?

Slaves and freedmen in Athens couldn't vote. Guess that wasn't a democracy either.

[Hauldren Collider]

You are truly stupid. It doesn't matter what the Supreme Court thinks if the public decides to amend the Constitution. The US wasn't a democracy when the founding fathers were alive because they set up a system where only rich white men could vote.

Man, those were the days [/heraclitus]

[giblets]

Hey the USSR was a democracy and republic, too! So is China!



Nope unless you expand the definition of democracy. A democracy doesn't have to be direct; it can be representative. The key point is that it is purely majoritarian. There's no check on the majority; no Supreme Court in a representative democracy.

We are a constitutional republic.

The term 'democracy' is never used once in the Constitution. Article IV, Section 4, however, reads "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government"

The Federalist Papers further demonstrate the attitude of our founding fathers.

We are not a democracy. We are a constitutional republic.

You are truly stupid. It doesn't matter what the Supreme Court thinks if the public decides to amend the Constitution. The US wasn't a democracy when the founding fathers were alive because they set up a system where only rich white men could vote.

China might be a republic (I don't really care whether it is or isn't) but it obviously isn't a democracy.

[Al B. Sure!]

This is exactly like arguing whether the Soviet Union was communist or socialist. If you aren't Che, the answer is communist. In this case, if you aren't Alby, the US is a democracy.

Hey the USSR was a democracy and republic, too! So is China!

Imagine a Venn diagram with one circle for "democracy" and another for "republic". I know this is getting a little abstract but I think you can handle it. The US is inside both circles.

Nope unless you expand the definition of democracy. A democracy doesn't have to be direct; it can be representative. The key point is that it is purely majoritarian. There's no check on the majority; no Supreme Court in a representative democracy.

We are a constitutional republic.

The term 'democracy' is never used once in the Constitution. Article IV, Section 4, however, reads "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government"

The Federalist Papers further demonstrate the attitude of our founding fathers.

[BlackCat]

Well, Jon Miller explained it better

[BlackCat]

Yes, he deserves a beating for making a true statement that you can't refute.

Bet that HC always deserves a beating. Though, I'm still rigth because an american upper class billionarie are similiar to a Lord or whatever the title would be. The only difference is that a yank isn't sired by a king.

The problem is that yank "nobility" can manipulate american democracy just as they want.

[giblets]

We are a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC!!!!

Holy crap stop arguing for the sake of arguing. Your defense of wealth earlier is proof you do it because I know you're a freaking liberal.

Imagine a Venn diagram with one circle for "democracy" and another for "republic". I know this is getting a little abstract but I think you can handle it. The US is inside both circles.

[Hauldren Collider]

This is exactly like arguing whether the Soviet Union was communist or socialist. If you aren't Che, the answer is communist. In this case, if you aren't Alby, the US is a democracy.