Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Science of global warming

2010-05-24T02:47:11Z

Radamus:

Only an idiot would think that there is no possibility that the earth is warming, that this warming is caused in large part by the actions of mankind, and that down the road this warming could cause problems. Go read Wikipedia on this topic.

Glenn Beck

2010-05-24T02:37:47Z

Radamus:

[[Image:Beck Glenn Fox.jpg|right|200px]]
'''Glenn Beck''' is a [[conservative]] and [[libertarian]] talk-radio host and television anchor employed by [[Fox News]].<ref> [http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/tv_fox_beck_cnn/2008/10/16/141295.html Glenn Beck Leaving CNN for Fox News] AP, October 16, 2008</ref> <ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/06/entertainment/et-foxnews6 Fox News' Glenn Beck strikes ratings gold by challenging Barack Obama] p.3 </ref>
His radio show, The Glenn Beck Program, is syndicated by over 230 radio stations across the [[United States]]. His television show, Glenn Beck, appeared daily on [[CNN]] Headline News, before he switched to FOX, during the 6:00 p.m. hour (EDT).

Beck is the author of five books, including ''The Real America: Messages from the Heart and Heartland'' and three #1 New York Times Bestsellers, ''An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems,'' ''The Christmas Sweater,'' ''Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government,'' and most recently ''Arguing With Idiots.''

Beck is a [[Mormon]], having converted after recovering from [[alcoholism]].<ref>Glenn Beck. (2008). An Unlikely Mormon: The Conversion Story of Glenn Beck [DVD]. Deserest Book.</ref>
In all likelihood Beck suffered permanent brain damage as a result of frequent bouts of
alcohol poisoning. This probably accounts for his bizarre behavior and views.

== Earnings and Book Deal ==
[http://www.businessinsider.com BusinessInsider.com] estimated Beck will make $18 million in 2009<ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/the-empire-of-glenn-beck-slideshow-2009-4 Glenn Beck's Cash Machine]</ref> Now with the signing of his new book deal with [[Simon & Schuster]], he will be given a larger share in the profits of each book, as well as increased creative control.<ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124138941245781353.html Wall St. Journal; New Deal Gives Beck Share in Book Profits]</ref>

==Liberal attempts to silence Beck==
Liberal activism groups attempted to silence Beck by pushing his advertisers to abandon his program, after he alleged that [[Barack Obama]] is [[racism|racist]] against white people, and that he [[hate|hates]] white culture. This prompted "RedState" to defend Beck and call for a boycott of the advertisers on his show who were hoodwinked into boycotting it by the liberal elite.

The publicity over the attempts on Beck's popularity achieved a result that the liberals cannot have intended: Beck was featured on the cover of [[Time]] magazine, and in a final insult to liberal pride; he is depicted sticking his tongue out at the reader. Beck, however, was less than pleased with the Time cover: He stated that ''Time'' ought to have featured the large crowds attending the [[September 12 March on Washington]] and not him on its cover.

== Known favorite associations ==
Beck frequently has Judge [[Andrew Napolitano]] appear as a guest on his program. Judge Napolitano has even hosted the Glenn Beck show himself when Mr. Beck was on assignment.

== 9/12 Project ==
In 2009, Beck launched the 9/12 project, a project aimed at recovering America's Christian founding values, closely allied with the [[Tea Party Movement]]. On September 12, 2009 (9/12), a massive Taxpayer March on Washington was accomplished, with hundreds of thousands of attendees, and was roundly censored by the [[liberal media]].

===The Project's 9 Principles, 12 Values===

The 9 Principles:
# America Is Good.
# I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
# I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
# The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
# If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
# I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
# I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
# It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
# The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

The 12 Values:
Honesty, Reverence, Hope, Thrift, Humility, Charity, Sincerity, Moderation, Hard Work, Courage, Personal Responsibility, Gratitude

==See Also==
* [[Fox News]]
* [http://www.glennbeck.com/home/index.shtml Glenn Beck's personal site]
* [http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Nov09/0,4670,APonTVPostElection,00.html Glenn Beck jumps from CNN to [[Fox News]]]

==External References==
[http://www.the912project.com/ 9/12 Project website]

{{Conservatism}}

==References==
<references/>
{{DEFAULTSORT: Beck, Glenn}}
[[Category: Broadcasters]]
[[Category: Television]]
[[Category: Conservative Commentators]]
[[Category: Media personalities ]]
[[Category: Conservatives]]

Democracy

2010-05-24T02:31:14Z

Radamus:

Democracy is a political form of government carried out either directly by the people (direct democracy) or by means of elected representatives of the people, as if the people and the elected person were one, linear line of decisions. (representative democracy). The term comes from the Greek: δημοκρατία - (dēmokratía) "rule of the people", which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) "people" and κράτος (krátos) "power", in the middle of the fifth-fourth century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC. Even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of 'democracy', there are two principles that defines the word democracy.They include: equality and freedom. These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to power. and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimized rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution.

== Debate over the merits of democracy ==

While a [[direct democracy]] in the manner of the Athenians is probably infeasible in a modern [[nation-state]] comprised of millions of citizens, there continues to be debate among conservatives as to whether [[representative democracy]] is a desirable system. [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]], who could be considered the father of both modern democracy and [[totalitarianism]], believed that in a democracy the government should be guided only by what he called the [[General Will]]. Other thinkers of the [[French]] [[Enlightenment]] described a [[republic]] as a system in which the law applies equally to the government and the people, a concept abbreviated in the [[21st century]] by the phrase [[rule of law]]. Most contemporary thinkers would identify [[universal suffrage]] and the right of any citizen to argue for a change in existing law as desirable features of democracy; but there is some question as to whether the rule of law can be indefinitely sustained in a system with these features. [[Thomas Jefferson]] believed that it could so long as the people were educated, and thus devoted his post-presidency to founding the [[University of Virginia]]. Nonetheless, property continued to be a proxy for education throughout the [[antebellum period]] and Jefferson's home state of [[Virginia]] only abolished [[property qualifications for voting]] in 1851, years after any other state. Another famous American said that a republic could last until "the people find out they have the right to vote themselves funds from the public treasury," an explicit criticism of the [[welfare state]], which most conservatives feel is an abuse of the [[U. S. Constitution]]'s [[Necessary and Proper Clause]].

Democracy may have its problems; an uneducated populace, for example, is the bane of any democracy, since unless people know what they need, they can not properly elect people to serve these needs. Other problems emerge from a capricious electorate, which caused [[Winston Churchill]] to remark that, "Democracy is the worst form of government... except for all the other forms that have been tried," a quote which eloquently notes that, despite its problems, democracy almost universally provides for peace and prosperity.

== Evolution of Anglo-American democracy ==
In the [[United States]], the current system of representative democracy evolved as a result of six major reforms:

# The [[American Revolution]] which severed ties with the King of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and endowed the people with the sovereign prerogatives that formerly belonged to the monarchy.
# The [[U. S. Constitution]]'s creation of the [[House of Representatives]], a Federal government entity elected directly by the citizens, and retention of [[federalism]], the right of individual [[States of the United States of America|states]] to govern themselves and make their own laws.
# The abolition of property qualifications for white male voters. This process, which was accomplished at the state level, took between 1820 and 1851 and is also known as [[Jacksonian Democracy]].
# The [[Fifteenth Amendment]], which prevented the use of race as a restriction on voting.
# The [[Seventeenth Amendment]], which caused [[Senator]]s to be elected directly by the citizens instead of the state legislatures.
# The [[Nineteenth Amendment]], which extended the franchise to [[women]].

Historically, the Fifteenth Amendment inspired the most opposition. Indeed, every state of the former [[Confederacy]] circumvented the Fifteenth Amendment between the end of [[Reconstruction]] and the passage of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], considered the ultimate guarantee of that Amendment.
==Britain==
In Britain, there were six major reforms in the direction of democracy:

# The [[1832 Reform Act]], which gave representation to the new [[industrial]] cities for the first time.
# The [[1867 Reform Act]].
# The [[1884 Reform Act]].
# The [[1911 Parliament Act]], which ended the ability of the [[House of Lords]] to rein in spending by the [[Commons]].
# The [[1918 Reform Act]], which made suffrage universal among males and extended it to women 30 years of age or older.
# The [[1928 Reform Act]], which equalized voting ages for male and female at 21.

It is noteworthy that it took the British 84 years to complete the process of abolishing property qualifications for voting (the first three Acts lowered the threshold incrementally) and that they only began to do so after [[Jacksonian Democracy]] emerged in the United States.

While none of these Acts has sustained a serious movement for repeal, historically the one which inspired the strongest opposition was the 1911 Parliament Act. Not surprisingly, this opposition came from the House of Lords, the last body of unelected people to retain any legislative power in the British system. Ultimately, the bill passed only after King [[George V]] promised to create an unlimited number of new [[peers]] in order to pass it.

The United States, Britain, Canada and many other countries mostly utilize a [[first past the post system]] for elections. The highest vote-getter wins. This limits the number of [[political parties]] and helps to stabilize the system, in contrast to democracies which use [[proportional representation]] where a party winning 5% of the vote is guaranteed a seat. [[Italy]], [[Germany]], [[France]], and [[Israel]] have at times had over 10 parties represented in their legislatures.
==Furtherreading==
* Dahl, Robert. ''On Democracy'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Yale-Nota-Bene/dp/0300084552/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search], by a leading theorist
* Dunn, John. ''Democracy: A History'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-History-John-Dunn/dp/0871139316/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]
* Held, David. ''Models of Democracy'' (3rd ed. (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Models-Democracy-3rd-David-Held/dp/0804754721/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-7 excerpt and text search], useful textbook
* Schumpeter, Joseph A. ''Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy'' (1943) influential conservative interpretation [http://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Socialism-Democracy-Joseph-Schumpeter/dp/0061561614/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-13 excerpt and text search]
==References==

'''DEMOCRACY''' - That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of free citizens directly or indirectly through a system of representation, as distinguished from monarchy, aristocracy, or oligarchy."
<Ref> Black's Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition, P. 432</Ref>

<References/>

==See also==
*[[Pluralism]]
*[[Majoritarianism]]
*[[Democracy and socialism]]

[[Category:Forms of Government]]
[[Category:Republicanism]]

Democracy

2010-05-23T18:23:32Z

Radamus:

Democracy is a political form of government carried out either directly by the people (direct democracy) or by means of elected representatives of the people, as if the people and the elected person were one, linear line of decisions. (representative democracy). The term comes from the Greek: δημοκρατία - (dēmokratía) "rule of the people", which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) "people" and κράτος (krátos) "power", in the middle of the fifth-fourth century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC. Even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of 'democracy', there are two principles that defines the word democracy.They include: equality and freedom. These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to power. and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimized rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution.

== Debate over the merits of democracy ==

While a [[direct democracy]] in the manner of the Athenians is probably infeasible in a modern [[nation-state]] comprised of millions of citizens, there continues to be debate among conservatives as to whether [[representative democracy]] is a desirable system. [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]], who could be considered the father of both modern democracy and [[totalitarianism]], believed that in a democracy the government should be guided only by what he called the [[General Will]]. Other thinkers of the [[French]] [[Enlightenment]] described a [[republic]] as a system in which the law applies equally to the government and the people, a concept abbreviated in the [[21st century]] by the phrase [[rule of law]]. Most contemporary thinkers would identify [[universal suffrage]] and the right of any citizen to argue for a change in existing law as desirable features of democracy; but there is some question as to whether the rule of law can be indefinitely sustained in a system with these features. [[Thomas Jefferson]] believed that it could so long as the people were educated, and thus devoted his post-presidency to founding the [[University of Virginia]]. Nonetheless, property continued to be a proxy for education throughout the [[antebellum period]] and Jefferson's home state of [[Virginia]] only abolished [[property qualifications for voting]] in 1851, years after any other state. Another famous American said that a republic could last until "the people find out they have the right to vote themselves funds from the public treasury," an explicit criticism of the [[welfare state]], which most conservatives feel is an abuse of the [[U. S. Constitution]]'s [[Necessary and Proper Clause]].

Democracy may have its problems; an uneducated populace, for example, is the bane of any democracy, since unless people know what they need, they can not properly elect people to serve these needs. Other problems emerge from a capricious electorate, which caused [[Winston Churchill]] to remark that, "Democracy is the worst form of government... except for all the other forms that have been tried," a quote which eloquently notes that, despite its problems, democracy almost universally provides for peace and prosperity.

Majoritarian systems are, however, problematic in that, in theory, they permit a majority to debase the welfare of a minority. [[Socialist]]s argue that a high degree of socio-economic equality is required for real political equality, but also contend that solidarity and fraternity may be sufficient to overcome the distorting effects of unequal wealth and enact pro-labor policies.

Democracy may also create the illusion that [[truth]] belongs to the [[people]], which is not the case because truth only belongs to [[God]]. It should be also noted for its allowing to elect un-Christian leaders in a normally Christian Nation.

== Evolution of Anglo-American democracy ==
In the [[United States]], the current system of representative democracy evolved as a result of six major reforms:

# The [[American Revolution]] which severed ties with the King of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and endowed the people with the sovereign prerogatives that formerly belonged to the monarchy.
# The [[U. S. Constitution]]'s creation of the [[House of Representatives]], a Federal government entity elected directly by the citizens, and retention of [[federalism]], the right of individual [[States of the United States of America|states]] to govern themselves and make their own laws.
# The abolition of property qualifications for white male voters. This process, which was accomplished at the state level, took between 1820 and 1851 and is also known as [[Jacksonian Democracy]].
# The [[Fifteenth Amendment]], which prevented the use of race as a restriction on voting.
# The [[Seventeenth Amendment]], which caused [[Senator]]s to be elected directly by the citizens instead of the state legislatures.
# The [[Nineteenth Amendment]], which extended the franchise to [[women]].

Historically, the Fifteenth Amendment inspired the most opposition. Indeed, every state of the former [[Confederacy]] circumvented the Fifteenth Amendment between the end of [[Reconstruction]] and the passage of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], considered the ultimate guarantee of that Amendment.
==Britain==
In Britain, there were six major reforms in the direction of democracy:

# The [[1832 Reform Act]], which gave representation to the new [[industrial]] cities for the first time.
# The [[1867 Reform Act]].
# The [[1884 Reform Act]].
# The [[1911 Parliament Act]], which ended the ability of the [[House of Lords]] to rein in spending by the [[Commons]].
# The [[1918 Reform Act]], which made suffrage universal among males and extended it to women 30 years of age or older.
# The [[1928 Reform Act]], which equalized voting ages for male and female at 21.

It is noteworthy that it took the British 84 years to complete the process of abolishing property qualifications for voting (the first three Acts lowered the threshold incrementally) and that they only began to do so after [[Jacksonian Democracy]] emerged in the United States.

While none of these Acts has sustained a serious movement for repeal, historically the one which inspired the strongest opposition was the 1911 Parliament Act. Not surprisingly, this opposition came from the House of Lords, the last body of unelected people to retain any legislative power in the British system. Ultimately, the bill passed only after King [[George V]] promised to create an unlimited number of new [[peers]] in order to pass it.

The United States, Britain, Canada and many other countries mostly utilize a [[first past the post system]] for elections. The highest vote-getter wins. This limits the number of [[political parties]] and helps to stabilize the system, in contrast to democracies which use [[proportional representation]] where a party winning 5% of the vote is guaranteed a seat. [[Italy]], [[Germany]], [[France]], and [[Israel]] have at times had over 10 parties represented in their legislatures.
==Furtherreading==
* Dahl, Robert. ''On Democracy'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Yale-Nota-Bene/dp/0300084552/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search], by a leading theorist
* Dunn, John. ''Democracy: A History'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-History-John-Dunn/dp/0871139316/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]
* Held, David. ''Models of Democracy'' (3rd ed. (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Models-Democracy-3rd-David-Held/dp/0804754721/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-7 excerpt and text search], useful textbook
* Schumpeter, Joseph A. ''Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy'' (1943) influential conservative interpretation [http://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Socialism-Democracy-Joseph-Schumpeter/dp/0061561614/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-13 excerpt and text search]
==References==

'''DEMOCRACY''' - That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of free citizens directly or indirectly through a system of representation, as distinguished from monarchy, aristocracy, or oligarchy."
<Ref> Black's Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition, P. 432</Ref>

<References/>

==See also==
*[[Pluralism]]
*[[Majoritarianism]]
*[[Democracy and socialism]]

[[Category:Forms of Government]]
[[Category:Republicanism]]

Democracy

2010-05-23T18:22:10Z

Radamus:

Democracy is a political form of government carried out either directly by the people (direct democracy) or by means of elected representatives of the people, as if the people and the elected person were one, linear line of decisions. (representative democracy). The term comes from the Greek: δημοκρατία - (dēmokratía) "rule of the people", which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) "people" and κράτος (krátos) "power", in the middle of the fifth-fourth century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC. Even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of 'democracy', there are two principles that defines the word democracy.They include: equality and freedom.[dubious – discuss] These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to power. and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimized rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution.]

== Debate over the merits of democracy ==

While a [[direct democracy]] in the manner of the Athenians is probably infeasible in a modern [[nation-state]] comprised of millions of citizens, there continues to be debate among conservatives as to whether [[representative democracy]] is a desirable system. [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]], who could be considered the father of both modern democracy and [[totalitarianism]], believed that in a democracy the government should be guided only by what he called the [[General Will]]. Other thinkers of the [[French]] [[Enlightenment]] described a [[republic]] as a system in which the law applies equally to the government and the people, a concept abbreviated in the [[21st century]] by the phrase [[rule of law]]. Most contemporary thinkers would identify [[universal suffrage]] and the right of any citizen to argue for a change in existing law as desirable features of democracy; but there is some question as to whether the rule of law can be indefinitely sustained in a system with these features. [[Thomas Jefferson]] believed that it could so long as the people were educated, and thus devoted his post-presidency to founding the [[University of Virginia]]. Nonetheless, property continued to be a proxy for education throughout the [[antebellum period]] and Jefferson's home state of [[Virginia]] only abolished [[property qualifications for voting]] in 1851, years after any other state. Another famous American said that a republic could last until "the people find out they have the right to vote themselves funds from the public treasury," an explicit criticism of the [[welfare state]], which most conservatives feel is an abuse of the [[U. S. Constitution]]'s [[Necessary and Proper Clause]].

Democracy may have its problems; an uneducated populace, for example, is the bane of any democracy, since unless people know what they need, they can not properly elect people to serve these needs. Other problems emerge from a capricious electorate, which caused [[Winston Churchill]] to remark that, "Democracy is the worst form of government... except for all the other forms that have been tried," a quote which eloquently notes that, despite its problems, democracy almost universally provides for peace and prosperity.

Majoritarian systems are, however, problematic in that, in theory, they permit a majority to debase the welfare of a minority. [[Socialist]]s argue that a high degree of socio-economic equality is required for real political equality, but also contend that solidarity and fraternity may be sufficient to overcome the distorting effects of unequal wealth and enact pro-labor policies.

Democracy may also create the illusion that [[truth]] belongs to the [[people]], which is not the case because truth only belongs to [[God]]. It should be also noted for its allowing to elect un-Christian leaders in a normally Christian Nation.

== Evolution of Anglo-American democracy ==
In the [[United States]], the current system of representative democracy evolved as a result of six major reforms:

# The [[American Revolution]] which severed ties with the King of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and endowed the people with the sovereign prerogatives that formerly belonged to the monarchy.
# The [[U. S. Constitution]]'s creation of the [[House of Representatives]], a Federal government entity elected directly by the citizens, and retention of [[federalism]], the right of individual [[States of the United States of America|states]] to govern themselves and make their own laws.
# The abolition of property qualifications for white male voters. This process, which was accomplished at the state level, took between 1820 and 1851 and is also known as [[Jacksonian Democracy]].
# The [[Fifteenth Amendment]], which prevented the use of race as a restriction on voting.
# The [[Seventeenth Amendment]], which caused [[Senator]]s to be elected directly by the citizens instead of the state legislatures.
# The [[Nineteenth Amendment]], which extended the franchise to [[women]].

Historically, the Fifteenth Amendment inspired the most opposition. Indeed, every state of the former [[Confederacy]] circumvented the Fifteenth Amendment between the end of [[Reconstruction]] and the passage of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], considered the ultimate guarantee of that Amendment.
==Britain==
In Britain, there were six major reforms in the direction of democracy:

# The [[1832 Reform Act]], which gave representation to the new [[industrial]] cities for the first time.
# The [[1867 Reform Act]].
# The [[1884 Reform Act]].
# The [[1911 Parliament Act]], which ended the ability of the [[House of Lords]] to rein in spending by the [[Commons]].
# The [[1918 Reform Act]], which made suffrage universal among males and extended it to women 30 years of age or older.
# The [[1928 Reform Act]], which equalized voting ages for male and female at 21.

It is noteworthy that it took the British 84 years to complete the process of abolishing property qualifications for voting (the first three Acts lowered the threshold incrementally) and that they only began to do so after [[Jacksonian Democracy]] emerged in the United States.

While none of these Acts has sustained a serious movement for repeal, historically the one which inspired the strongest opposition was the 1911 Parliament Act. Not surprisingly, this opposition came from the House of Lords, the last body of unelected people to retain any legislative power in the British system. Ultimately, the bill passed only after King [[George V]] promised to create an unlimited number of new [[peers]] in order to pass it.

The United States, Britain, Canada and many other countries mostly utilize a [[first past the post system]] for elections. The highest vote-getter wins. This limits the number of [[political parties]] and helps to stabilize the system, in contrast to democracies which use [[proportional representation]] where a party winning 5% of the vote is guaranteed a seat. [[Italy]], [[Germany]], [[France]], and [[Israel]] have at times had over 10 parties represented in their legislatures.
==Furtherreading==
* Dahl, Robert. ''On Democracy'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Yale-Nota-Bene/dp/0300084552/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search], by a leading theorist
* Dunn, John. ''Democracy: A History'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-History-John-Dunn/dp/0871139316/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]
* Held, David. ''Models of Democracy'' (3rd ed. (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Models-Democracy-3rd-David-Held/dp/0804754721/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-7 excerpt and text search], useful textbook
* Schumpeter, Joseph A. ''Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy'' (1943) influential conservative interpretation [http://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Socialism-Democracy-Joseph-Schumpeter/dp/0061561614/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-13 excerpt and text search]
==References==

'''DEMOCRACY''' - That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of free citizens directly or indirectly through a system of representation, as distinguished from monarchy, aristocracy, or oligarchy."
<Ref> Black's Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition, P. 432</Ref>

<References/>

==See also==
*[[Pluralism]]
*[[Majoritarianism]]
*[[Democracy and socialism]]

[[Category:Forms of Government]]
[[Category:Republicanism]]

Democracy

2010-05-23T18:16:10Z

Radamus:

Democracy is a political form of government carried out either directly by the people (direct democracy) or by means of elected representatives of the people, as if the people and the elected person were one, linear line of decisions. (representative democracy). The term comes from the Greek: δημοκρατία - (dēmokratía) "rule of the people",[1] which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) "people" and κράτος (krátos) "power", in the middle of the fifth-fourth century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC.[2] Even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of 'democracy',[3] there are two principles that defines the word democracy.They include: equality and freedom.[4][dubious – discuss] These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to power.[5] and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimized rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution.[6][7]

== Debate over the merits of democracy ==

While a [[direct democracy]] in the manner of the Athenians is probably infeasible in a modern [[nation-state]] comprised of millions of citizens, there continues to be debate among conservatives as to whether [[representative democracy]] is a desirable system. [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]], who could be considered the father of both modern democracy and [[totalitarianism]], believed that in a democracy the government should be guided only by what he called the [[General Will]]. Other thinkers of the [[French]] [[Enlightenment]] described a [[republic]] as a system in which the law applies equally to the government and the people, a concept abbreviated in the [[21st century]] by the phrase [[rule of law]]. Most contemporary thinkers would identify [[universal suffrage]] and the right of any citizen to argue for a change in existing law as desirable features of democracy; but there is some question as to whether the rule of law can be indefinitely sustained in a system with these features. [[Thomas Jefferson]] believed that it could so long as the people were educated, and thus devoted his post-presidency to founding the [[University of Virginia]]. Nonetheless, property continued to be a proxy for education throughout the [[antebellum period]] and Jefferson's home state of [[Virginia]] only abolished [[property qualifications for voting]] in 1851, years after any other state. Another famous American said that a republic could last until "the people find out they have the right to vote themselves funds from the public treasury," an explicit criticism of the [[welfare state]], which most conservatives feel is an abuse of the [[U. S. Constitution]]'s [[Necessary and Proper Clause]].

Democracy may have its problems; an uneducated populace, for example, is the bane of any democracy, since unless people know what they need, they can not properly elect people to serve these needs. Other problems emerge from a capricious electorate, which caused [[Winston Churchill]] to remark that, "Democracy is the worst form of government... except for all the other forms that have been tried," a quote which eloquently notes that, despite its problems, democracy almost universally provides for peace and prosperity.

Majoritarian systems are, however, problematic in that, in theory, they permit a majority to debase the welfare of a minority. [[Socialist]]s argue that a high degree of socio-economic equality is required for real political equality, but also contend that solidarity and fraternity may be sufficient to overcome the distorting effects of unequal wealth and enact pro-labor policies.

Democracy may also create the illusion that [[truth]] belongs to the [[people]], which is not the case because truth only belongs to [[God]]. It should be also noted for its allowing to elect un-Christian leaders in a normally Christian Nation.

== Evolution of Anglo-American democracy ==
In the [[United States]], the current system of representative democracy evolved as a result of six major reforms:

# The [[American Revolution]] which severed ties with the King of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and endowed the people with the sovereign prerogatives that formerly belonged to the monarchy.
# The [[U. S. Constitution]]'s creation of the [[House of Representatives]], a Federal government entity elected directly by the citizens, and retention of [[federalism]], the right of individual [[States of the United States of America|states]] to govern themselves and make their own laws.
# The abolition of property qualifications for white male voters. This process, which was accomplished at the state level, took between 1820 and 1851 and is also known as [[Jacksonian Democracy]].
# The [[Fifteenth Amendment]], which prevented the use of race as a restriction on voting.
# The [[Seventeenth Amendment]], which caused [[Senator]]s to be elected directly by the citizens instead of the state legislatures.
# The [[Nineteenth Amendment]], which extended the franchise to [[women]].

Historically, the Fifteenth Amendment inspired the most opposition. Indeed, every state of the former [[Confederacy]] circumvented the Fifteenth Amendment between the end of [[Reconstruction]] and the passage of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], considered the ultimate guarantee of that Amendment.
==Britain==
In Britain, there were six major reforms in the direction of democracy:

# The [[1832 Reform Act]], which gave representation to the new [[industrial]] cities for the first time.
# The [[1867 Reform Act]].
# The [[1884 Reform Act]].
# The [[1911 Parliament Act]], which ended the ability of the [[House of Lords]] to rein in spending by the [[Commons]].
# The [[1918 Reform Act]], which made suffrage universal among males and extended it to women 30 years of age or older.
# The [[1928 Reform Act]], which equalized voting ages for male and female at 21.

It is noteworthy that it took the British 84 years to complete the process of abolishing property qualifications for voting (the first three Acts lowered the threshold incrementally) and that they only began to do so after [[Jacksonian Democracy]] emerged in the United States.

While none of these Acts has sustained a serious movement for repeal, historically the one which inspired the strongest opposition was the 1911 Parliament Act. Not surprisingly, this opposition came from the House of Lords, the last body of unelected people to retain any legislative power in the British system. Ultimately, the bill passed only after King [[George V]] promised to create an unlimited number of new [[peers]] in order to pass it.

The United States, Britain, Canada and many other countries mostly utilize a [[first past the post system]] for elections. The highest vote-getter wins. This limits the number of [[political parties]] and helps to stabilize the system, in contrast to democracies which use [[proportional representation]] where a party winning 5% of the vote is guaranteed a seat. [[Italy]], [[Germany]], [[France]], and [[Israel]] have at times had over 10 parties represented in their legislatures.
==Furtherreading==
* Dahl, Robert. ''On Democracy'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Yale-Nota-Bene/dp/0300084552/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search], by a leading theorist
* Dunn, John. ''Democracy: A History'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-History-John-Dunn/dp/0871139316/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]
* Held, David. ''Models of Democracy'' (3rd ed. (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Models-Democracy-3rd-David-Held/dp/0804754721/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-7 excerpt and text search], useful textbook
* Schumpeter, Joseph A. ''Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy'' (1943) influential conservative interpretation [http://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Socialism-Democracy-Joseph-Schumpeter/dp/0061561614/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263246597&sr=8-13 excerpt and text search]
==References==

'''DEMOCRACY''' - That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of free citizens directly or indirectly through a system of representation, as distinguished from monarchy, aristocracy, or oligarchy."
<Ref> Black's Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition, P. 432</Ref>

<References/>

==See also==
*[[Pluralism]]
*[[Majoritarianism]]
*[[Democracy and socialism]]

[[Category:Forms of Government]]
[[Category:Republicanism]]