Political Efficacy: The Key Feature Of American Democracy

The definition of democracy is “a government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system” . In other words, democracy is freedom. A government set up by the people and for the people. This beautiful government was set up by an outstanding group of men that were able to come together and compromise through some of the hardest times in American history. Americans are extremely blessed to live in the country we live in and to have the type of government we have. So many countries around the world have citizens that have no control of how their country is ruled, or who it is ruled by. There are still dictatorships and

This paper will serve as a way of introducing the three competing theories of American democracy, which are Pluralism, the Elite theory, and Hyper pluralism. The following theories can all be applied as a lens to see American politics through, each serving as an essential part of government. Among this paper, we will come across a bill (S 256), this bill was fighting to overhaul the federal bankruptcy code, making it harder for people to file for bankruptcy. To file for bankruptcy individuals would have to go through the means test first. This paper will also examine what theory of American democracy is best portrayed within the bill.

What is democracy? Democracy is a form of government that vest the power onto the people (Barbour & Wright, 2016). When a state actor’s form of government is democracy, the citizens vote for their leaders and on laws to be passed. Democracy is part of the non-authoritarian system which means the individual citizens decide how to live their lives and the government’s role is very limited (Barbour & Wright, 2016). There are many state actors that run their countries in a democracy way including, United States, Sweden, Japan, and India. Although the United States Democracy is not exactly a true democracy.

The United States of America is one of the few countries that give its citizens a unique opportunity and that is to vote. Many other countries give its citizens the right to vote, however America is different due to the fact that its citizens vote for everything, from their local government to their president. With power this great, it gives more reason to become and informed voter. Each state has congressional districts that are made by the population. Each district has around 711,000 people. Each district gets one representative in the House of Representatives. For example, Portland Connecticut is part of the 1st congressional district in Connecticut. Their representative is John Larson. The 1st congressional district of Connecticut spans over multiple counties including multiple major cities, and example would be East and West Hartford, Hartford being the capital of Connecticut. Other cities include Middletown and Manchester, all which are highly populated and the towns have large impacts on Connecticut’s economy.

After Donald Trump was elected president, the US citizens thought that their vote did not make a difference. After the Electoral College shut down the opinion of the public and voted out of their own opinion on who should be the leader, made the voters think that they are not living in a democracy. I believe that the voters were even more upset at the fact that the popular vote was leaning completely to one side and and the candidate that was victorious could not compare to the same amount of voters. Some of the voters felt betrayed, upset, furious, and just shocked at the news that Donald Trump will be called “Mr.President”. People all through the United States protested long and hard for the result to be recounted, but it was not successful.

Why vote for a candidate who isn’t qualified for the job? Hillary clinton if anything is over qualified for the job. She has taught at the university of Arkansas law school. She was also named one of the 100 most powerful lawyers in america by the national law journal in 1988 and 1991. She had served 8 years as the first lady, and as the us senator for new york. Hillary is the one for the job, because she knows what she must fix. Hillary has some strong points about college she wants to ensure no students have to borrow money to pay for tuition books, or fees to attend a four year public college in their state, to help the research about alzheimer’s and related diseases she wants to invest $2 billion dollars per year. She will create good-paying jobs by making the United States the clean energy superpower of the 21st century. Hillary will find a way to Give working families a raise, and tax relief that helps them manage rising costs.To help with gun violence protection, dealers and manufacturers will be held accountable. Hillary is also pro equal rights for lgbt americans, she opposes using “religious freedom” to justify cutting access to healthcare and

With the presidential election going on today I am baffled at how many of my friends care so little about it. I was always taught in my family to vote in every election because my vote mattered. I asked my roommate if she had voted and she answered back with “well no I don’t really know who to vote for and my vote wouldn’t matter anyways, so I’m just not going to do it…” I was baffled at how little she cared and how she didn’t want to try to understand more about the people running in order for her to make an educated decision and vote. If we as citizens of the US all thought this way and no one cared enough to try to understand what is going on around us in our government then this could be dangerous. In a study conducted it shows just how

Democracy is perhaps the most elusive concept of all times. But if there has to be something more elusive, it will surely be the concept of American democracy. In 1858, Abraham Lincoln is known to have written:

In 2016, the presidential election was one of the hot issues in the United States and citizens focused the result of this intriguing competition. Meanwhile, without considering who was the winner of this election, the fact of 56% of eligible voter turnout in this year was a noticeable value. This figure was 5% lower than the previous presidential election; moreover, compare to the past, voter turnout has drawn a declining tendency. At this point, one of the questions is arising; does vote need to be highly recommended or left the decision to citizens? I am standing for the motion which is “citizens should vote.” I have two main points and one rebuttal against opposing opinion.

Why voting matters in America. This image is an example of a racially based intimidation of African American voters during the Reconstruction Era, it depicts the intimidation techniques that the Democratic Party used to suppress Southern Black Voters in the election of 1876, and I chose this image because it highlights the key reason why the Civil War occurred- whether or not African Americans should be free and have rights. It enhances our understanding of the subject by illustrating how the white men are trying to end support of radical republicans and force blacks to vote for Democrats, and un top of intimidation, violence was used by white supremacists to incite fear; and this is because voting symbolized power and agency. However, this

I know that our country is split in two this is largely due to the change between past and current administrations. I have just a few comments that I ask you to consider before jumping to the conclusion that I am a liberal or anti whatever.

The United States of America is not fully a democracy. People tend to vote for the issues and laws directly yet, most of the issues are resolved by representatives that are voted in by the people. Somehow, both of these are examples are a democracy, yet our country is mainly run by the second definition. However, republic has a better suited definition to the way our country works and allows things to be controlled. Republics have the power to vote for electives and others for the population to rely on. The federal government is a full on republic, however, looking more into state and local levels of governments, it is more along the lines of democracy. Yet, since the government that hold absolute power in the laws and decisions is mainly

International studies shows us how the world is webbed together. It combines economics and government as well as other important issues. I learned about voting in other countries. How Native Americans on reservations lives are dramatically different then the rest of South Dakota, and how refugees have to suffer without a end in sight.

We live in this country for the land, and the for the free as Americans we rely on many attributes in this world in order for us to live our lives. Our government has supplied us with many great things for us to be proud of. Our government is “the institutions and processes though which public policies are made for society.” (Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry, p. 7). With all these institutions which includes the President, Congress, the courts and all the federal administrative agencies. These are the institutions that make up public policies for us, and to shape the way we live as Americans. The way this system has been operating through all the years has been

Political scientists have developed several theories about American democracy, including majoritarian theory, elite theory, and theories of pluralism. The government ought to do what the majority of the people want, and elites decide what is good or bad for the people, and compromising decisions. (Textbook, pg.,15-17) So, our democracy is not just simple concept, but is complex. Among these theories, elitism seems outstanding issue to me because it can make all the rules, or laws only for their own interest or advantage. I wonder how we are able to trust those people only by the education they have received. They can do all the work only for their interest, not for the people. Even if they insist it is good for the public, or they have better