• floofloof@lemmy.ca
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    21 days ago

    In 2014 a Princeton study found that the will of the people has little to no influence over US government policy decisions, except for the most wealthy, who have a lot of influence. They concluded that the USA was not a true democracy but more of an oligarchy. If that system was higher than 8 out of 10 on the democracy index and all of Trump’s damage has only brought it down to very slightly below 8, the index may need recalibrating.

    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/princeton-experts-say-us-no-longer-democracy

    • the_q@lemmy.zip
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      21 days ago

      Bingo. We get on social media and complain while continuing to give our money to billionaires because no one will give up their small comforts or their perceived security to hit these fuckers where it hurts.

    • saltesc@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      I tried explaining this to someone here a while ago but am a Russian shill…

      Athenians would not see the US as a democracy at all. Neither how it’s setup nor how it plays out. There are fundamental values of democracy the US does not have and is anti-democratic by design in other areas. Just some core examples are the electoral college—obviously, appointment and conduct of the supreme court, and senate representation recognising geographic borders and not the number of voices contained within.

      There’s things in place to safeguard against the pitfalls of extreme democracy, but at the same time there’s plenty aligned with the oligarchy of Athena which caused democracy to be defiantly born. It is not really “power to the people”, it is more “power to a group of people that are intended to represent the rest of the people who actually get very little say in any of it…also lobbying.”

      The constitution is supposed to protect the democratic values the US does have but apparently that thing was worthless all along.

  • Sunshine@piefed.caOPM
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    21 days ago

    Americans need to protect their multi-century long heritage of being a bastion of democracy. The felon ruins everything he touches.

    • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
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      21 days ago

      their multi-century long heritage of being a bastion of democracy.

      That may be what Americans tell themselves when they look in the mirror, but the rest of the planet sees things very differently.

      • Sunshine@piefed.caOPM
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        21 days ago

        They’re slumped down right now but you have to look at the big picture not just the contemporary times.

        Sure citizen’s united and MAGA republicans are jokes.

    • ZDL@lazysoci.al
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      20 days ago

      Uh…

      The felon was selected by Americans. He’s not the CAUSE of culture rot and the fall of what little democracy the USA ever had. He’s a SYMPTOM.

      • Sunshine@piefed.caOPM
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        20 days ago

        Trump never won a majority of the support of the Americans people in the 3 presidential elections and subsequent polls. 77m doesn’t even represent half of the voters.