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US Democracy flawed (Read 135076 times)
Rebecca D(Guest)
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US Democracy flawed
Dec 29th, 2006 at 2:50pm
 
US Democracy flawedOf course, US Democracy is flawed, as are all things. However, I think the particular flaw that you locked on to is relatively unimportant.

The greatest contribution of the United States to political thought and government never had anything to do with representative government or how representatives are to be chosen. The founders simply carried on with an imitation of the forms of government their great-grandfathers had known in Great Britain.  What made the democracy of the US truly great, unique and innovative was its system of checks and balances on power.

The founders were clever, but not clever enough to thwart the abuse of power forever. Their focus was on power gained legitimately through political means and in this context, our system has functioned beautifully. What our founders did not foresee was the amassing of power by those outside of the political arena.

In other words, our founders had no way to predict the emergence of entities who derived their power not from the will of the people, but from their unrestrained acquisition of the people's resources. Therefore, they did not provide for any checks or balances on the vast power wielded by corporations.  This is the most serious flaw in United States democracy.
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« Last Edit: Sep 8th, 2023 at 1:48pm by freediver »  
 
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Re: US Democracy flawed
Reply #1 - Dec 29th, 2006 at 3:45pm
 
The original article: http://www.ozpolitic.com/electoral-reform/US-democracy-is-flawed.html

I disagree that it is a minor issue. It is the root of the problem.

A lot of the influence wielded by these large corporations over the American people does not arise by virtue of their wealth or market dominance. The obtain it through political channels (ie bribery etc). This flaw in the America democracy is what allows them to gain so much influence, by severely limiting the ability of the American people to respond to corruption and abuse of power through democratic measures. The American people are forced to vote for either a corrupt party, a party whose political ideology they do not share, or a minor party who will never gain influence because by voting for them you are effectively throwing your vote away. Fixing this flaw in America's democracy will correct the bulk of the problem, and enable further reform to correct any remaining problems. It is a strategic move because it allows the people to fix the problems at the polls - it makes it almost inevitable. At the very least, any remaining problems will be attributable to the ignorance of the people, rather than the failure of the democratic process.
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enviro
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Re: US Democracy flawed
Reply #2 - Jan 4th, 2007 at 8:48am
 
Democracy allows the media to control all facets of direction. It allows a voice above people.

Before media, as we know it today, people were only persuaded by religion but media gave them more choices and better choices.

The faster we can communicate and relay information the more powerful the media is. People tend to believe everything the media tells them and judgement and opinions are formed by how each article is relayed.

Democracy will always be faulty because the majority controls it only after the media gets to them. Smiley What is needed is a new system that the world can embrace. When I say new, I don't mean Communism, Fascism, Monarchy, Feudalism etc. I mean something new that takes our modern times, circumstances and problems into consideration and something that addresses all social issues.

A system where media powers are restricted to size.
Smiley
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Re: US Democracy flawed
Reply #3 - Feb 23rd, 2007 at 12:44pm
 
hi Freediver Rebbeca hi others
The peope who fianace political parties have to much pull, over what goverments do
Those who can pay the most get their way, be it in the peoples interest or not. Democracy is a brilliant ideal, but gentlemens clubs and finaical handshakes, should have no effect  on either private nor global policies. A democarcy also is suppose to protects its citazins regardless of culture or race.
We in the U.K have introduced right or left wing groups to be a part of our goverment so ther is oppertunity for voices to be heard
. It takes out the frustration of not having a platform to speak on
to identify the U.S flaw its The Bush Administrations foreign policy
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Re: US Democracy flawed
Reply #4 - Feb 23rd, 2007 at 4:00pm
 
Ah its a HIPPY POM! Hows the BNP going MAN?
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Total anti-marxist and anti-left wing. The Right is Right.&&&&&&
 
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ex-member DonaldTrump
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Re: US Democracy flawed
Reply #5 - Feb 23rd, 2007 at 10:52pm
 
Man... I love the BNP.  Cool
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Quote:
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Re: US Democracy flawed
Reply #6 - Feb 23rd, 2007 at 11:00pm
 
Yep, mr griffin is doing something. they have seats in councils!
If only we had a nationalist party doing well here.
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Total anti-marxist and anti-left wing. The Right is Right.&&&&&&
 
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Re: US Democracy flawed
Reply #7 - Feb 24th, 2007 at 2:50pm
 
Hiya
Im no pom lol im a Scot fully supporting the Scotish national party aims of independance
r/e the bnf it is better they have a place to share their veiws and they are demonstarting a fairly ballanced picture.Immagration has been our problem, diversity benifits us. I think when we had our race wars in the eighties it was due to, silly do gooders making to much pc we are still doing it with the issue over Israel and it attrocities it is like we cannot comment on this or become called anti semetic. its stupid if we cannot speak about someting we will express it differently
love n peace and down with the poms
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Re: US Democracy flawed
Reply #8 - Feb 24th, 2007 at 3:07pm
 
I know mate, i was only having a lend of ya! Grin
Good on ya mate for supporting free speech. Wink
As ive said before, No Israel = peace in mid east.
Nothing wrong with being anti-semitic or/and anti-islamic either.
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Total anti-marxist and anti-left wing. The Right is Right.&&&&&&
 
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auzgurl
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America
Reply #9 - Mar 18th, 2007 at 8:36am
 
Do some of you believe as I do...that the average Americans are spoiled, smug, arrogant  pple? Could I throw racist into the mix?

Theyre interference in the MIddle East would support this veiw I believe.

They foist their values and ideas onto the Global population..including now Korea and a couple others ..where will theyre arrogance end. Who will teach them this lesson?

It could have been Korea..they did feel a level of intrepidation about Korea....They need a lesson. I wonder if this lesson will come and how!!
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Re: America
Reply #10 - Mar 18th, 2007 at 12:32pm
 
any ideas..Im not promoting vilonece against America, such as they do to others.

I just wonder how they got so smug and arrogant?

Is it really that they are smug or we just feel envy re theyre patriotism and success..however one canm edfine success these days..They must be successful though, its whereby they gained their powerbase isnt it?

but if America is successful Id still prefer Aust as my country, as soon as we get rid of Howard!!!!!! Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry
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US to breed new 'superbugs'
Reply #11 - Mar 5th, 2007 at 10:35am
 
http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking-news/us-set-to-approve-cattle-antibiotic/2007/03/04/1172943267143.html

The US Food and Drug Administration may be poised to approve a controversial antibiotic for cattle despite fears it could hurt human health, The Washington Post reports.

The drug, called cefquinome, is a fourth-generation cephalosporin, a class of antibiotics used for a range of human diseases including serious gastrointestinal diseases in children and meningitis.

The fear is that using such drugs in animals can lead to the emergence of new drug-resistant "superbugs" which will be immune to similar drugs when used in people.

The overuse of antibiotics in both humans and animals has already helped such bacteria evolve, and infectious disease experts have been warning doctors to use them more judiciously.

The FDA's own advisers, the Veterinary Medical Advisory Committee, voiced such concerns when they voted in September to reject approval of cefquinome, made by InterVet Inc. of Millsboro, Delaware.

Yet the Post quoted experts as saying the FDA was moving towards approval anyway, overriding the advice of the panel, the American Medical Association and other health groups.

[and in a direct contradiction of the precautionary principle:]

"The industry says that 'until you show us a direct link to human mortality from the use of these drugs in animals, we don't think you should preclude their use'," it quoted Belongia as saying.



Epidemic superbug strains evolved from one bacterium: study

http://news.smh.com.au/epidemic-superbug-strains-evolved-from-one-bacterium-study/20080122-1nfz.html

The drug-resistant "superbugs" that have cut a swathe through day care centers, schools, locker rooms and prisons across the United States in the last five years stem from one rapidly evolving bacterium, US scientists said Monday.

Scientists studying the genetic make-up of these bugs, which are resistant to almost all antibiotics, say they are nearly identical clones that have emerged from a single bacterial strain, which they have dubbed USA300.

"The USA300 group of strains appears to have extraordinary transmissibility and fitness," said Frank DeLeo, a researcher with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in Hamilton, Montana.

"We anticipate that new USA300 derivatives will emerge within the next several years and that these strains will have a wide range of disease-causing potential."

Most drug-resistant staph infections cause soft-tissue infections such as boils that are readily treatable, but a skin infection can become a deadly pneumonia or blood or bone infection in a matter of days if the patient doesn't get the right drugs.

What's particularly worrying to health authorities is that the MRSA infections, (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) have spread beyond their traditional hospital setting, seeding an epidemic in the wider community.
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« Last Edit: Jan 22nd, 2008 at 7:53pm by freediver »  

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Re: US to breed new 'superbugs'
Reply #12 - Mar 5th, 2007 at 8:37pm
 
What is the problem with the FDA?  I thought they were supposed to act in the best interests of human beings.

They will approve anything - even cloned animals who apparently have some chemical process in the cloning.  It doesn't matter what  chemical compounds are used or whether the animal has 5 legs, as long as the meat tastes good seems to be the general philosophy of the FDA.

Antibiotics are a human essential and once a superbug has built up resistance to it, what chance would we have against a chronic contagious disease.  It sounds like it's about time to give up eating meat altogether or refuse to eat imported products.
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Hemp farming legalised in the US
Reply #13 - Feb 13th, 2007 at 9:58am
 
OK I know this isn't Australian politics, but it is still interesting, and we will probably follow suit once our farmers realise they are missing out on income. I didn't know it was already legal in Canada.



http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/464/north_dakota_first_state_legalize_hemp_production_licenses_available_in_january'

Hemp: North Dakota Becomes First State to Legalize Industrial Production

Industrial hemp production becomes legal under North Dakota state law as of January 1, making it the first US state to do so. But while the state Agriculture Department is ready to start handing out licenses next month, it cautions potential farmers that they can't actually begin growing hemp until they are licensed by the state and are approved by the federal government.

Given that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) remains opposed to legalizing the production of the marijuana relative -- the two plants are different cultivars of the cannabis plant, one grown for its oils, seeds, and fibers and the other to get you high -- North Dakota wheat, beet, and soybean farmers probably shouldn't be thinking about switching over anytime soon. That despite the fact that their cousins on the other side of that line in the trackless prairie that marks the US-Canada border in the area are growing it like crazy, sending it across the border, where it can be processed and sold as hemp products, and taking their US dollar profits back home.



http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/02/08/news/regional/af9e5693a57095ca8725727a007bf1d2.txt

BISMARCK, N.D. -- North Dakota issued the nation's first licenses to grow industrial hemp Tuesday to two farmers who still must meet federal requirements before they can plant the crop.

The farmers must get approval from the Drug Enforcement Administration, which treats hemp much the way it does marijuana and has not allowed commercial hemp production but has said it would consider applications to grow it.
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Re: Hemp farming legalised in the US
Reply #14 - Feb 13th, 2007 at 6:52pm
 
With modern technology I would not be surprised to see them develop a strain which produces good fiber and a decent little head on top too which would certainly be a lucrative sideline for them. Not totally different to the romanticised idea they have of the down south moonshiners. I used to love growing dope it is a pretty amazing little plant and it has been a part of civilised society since recorded history began so we should not be neglecting all it's benefits because of the short sighted wowserism of US religious nuts.
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