And at the federal level, we are a democracy of states, not people. That is what a republic *is.* The people tell their states how to vote; it is the states who actually vote for the President.   People vote for other people who in turn will vote for still other people for President.  That is true even where states use winner-take-all for their voting.  (Proportional allocation of electoral votes is an overdue reform.)   Useful reading: Voters in each state actually cast a vote for a block of electors who are pledged to vote for a particular candidate. http://bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/election/electoral.html No, I'm not considering you that limited.  Read on: How the Electoral College Works http://www.fec.gov/pages/ecworks.htm And what's a republic? Additional useful reading (one of a number of sites that feature this material): http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Classic%20Definition%20of%2... http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Definition%20of%20Republic http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/federal%20republic   Dave Simpson

  Democracy without competence or virtue is a bad thing, indeed. I'll second that.   There are plenty of conservative grouches out there (who probably hate demagoguery by the Dems and exploiting their gullible, ill-minded voters) who would third that motion in some detail.  Many of them and their complaints no doubt are driven by ideology and politics, but liberal critics are fallacious to confuse or combine their gripes (such as found below) with the more common cynicism toward what changes the USA has undergone that indeed are not the same as improvements.  (And to say change is not the same as improvement is not necessarily conservative, and obviously isn't reactionary.) NOTE: Liberal readers will find the following range from annoying to contemptible to outrageous, so there's a liberal piece at the bottom just as a token(!) of accomodation. ... You will hear many people say that we are a democracy . Such was NOT the original intention. In a democracy, the will of the majority is law. Anything is allowed, provided that the majority approves. There are no checks and balances, and the rights of the individual are not protected. Allow me two quotations on the subject: James Madison, Federalist Paper 10: Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. U.S. Army Training Manual TM2000-05, 1928 Democracy, n. A government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meeting or any form of direct _expression_. Results in mobocracy. Attitude toward property is communistic - negating property rights. Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, whether it be _base_d upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences. Results in demagogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy. http://www.wealth4freedom.com/Republic.html PURE DEMOCRACY IS EVIL http://www.swcp.com/~nmrep/demevil1.htm Democracy's Road to Tyranny http://www.libertyhaven.com/politicsandcurrentevents/democracy/roadty... The United States and [its] Regressive Governmental Evolution Republic to Democracy http://www.indixie.com/indixie/Articles/Republic.htm A Republic, Not a Democracy http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2000/tst121200.htm A Republic, If You Can Keep It http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2000/11-06-2000/vo16no23_republic.htm Democracy Versus Republic  (and the guy's pen name includes grouch !) http://www.grouchyoldcripple.com/archives/000217.html Democracy vs. Republic http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/dvsr.htm What is the difference between a Democracy and a Republic? http://www.tmra2.org/images/democracyvsrepublic.pdf The Difference between a Republic and a Democracy http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a333b803442.htm The Lie....America is a democracy and we should cast off our old, outdated constitutional restraints and embrace more modern principles. The Truth... http://www.mcsm.org/truth1.html On a lighter (no pun intended, libs! see below) note: Dubya Meets the Founding Fathers http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&f...   Dave Simpson