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A simple, straight forward and superb explanation of the forms of governments. I can not agree more.
All of the “democratic” world is essentially a republic. Real democracy only existed in ancient greece and if someone knows greek history, they also know how difficult and turbulent it was.
This is why I disagree with Obama and his administration – I do not think he completely understand what the US is all about. His actions speak loud.
Anyway, thanks for posting this video.
Truth mixed with BS. No matter how you bend it, the US is run by an elite (the politicians), which in turn is financed by another elite (the rich).
Not news, history repeats itself.
#2, So what are we going to do about it?
Doesn’t the Oligarchy currently describe the US? Isn’t the fact that the Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeild connection of rulers show the previous administration was an oligarchy? I get that Obama may be more left then people want, but we is several orders of magnitude away from an oligarchy compared to anyone who’s come along in a while.
#5, I’m not so sure. Obama has surrounded himself with lots of previous “rulers.”
#4 – LibertyLover
Reform the political system. Implement a real multi-party system. Outlaw big political contributions, gifts as well as lobbyists. Fund politically independent watchdogs. I’m sure you can come up with more ideas.
#2 agreed.
Also, I would cite a big understated part to the story – the impact of religion in government.
The sinister plan of organized religion and their rulers to work their way into our Republic.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between church and State.
Good start Jägermeister.
Didn’t Nader have it right telling us both Dems and Pubs were working for Corporate America? Oligarchies Indeed.
You all know the answer:
VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE.
While conceptually accurate, this piece is biased by an agenda and does not reflect the actual state of democracies:
Democracy stands over the republic framework and is regulated by independent powers: Political, Legislative, Judicial and executive. While in most European countries there is a direct democratic representation, in the US there is indirect representation. ie. the people elects the parliament, which by it’s turn appoints a leader (prime minister or president) to be the chief of the government and a President to be the chief of the State. The chief of the state, with the help of a council, the government and a representation of the opposition appoints the heads of the Judicial and Legislative powers. Usually these mandates have different time frames so to overlap different presidents and governments and to avoid overwhelming majorities.
All this is binded under a constitution and major changes to the set of laws demand a qualified majority or unanimity and must be ratified by the president (head of state) or the Monarch (under a parliament monarchy).
So, it’s not so straightforward the difference between a democracy and a republic.
Virtually, “pure” democracies only existed in ancient greece and in the context of the cities-state. Today’s Democracies are either Republican or Monarchic and usually rooted on a set of laws and a constitution.
#7, Jägermeister,
I agree. The current system is broken. The basics need to be retaught. We’ve been too long without people who actually care about what is going on up there. Government is supposed to be hard, something no one wants to do. Only then will things get done.
This is one of my Favorite videos on Youtube!!
Perpetuus est res publica intus nos animus.
Non executus et reperio omne vos requiro.
Baronis circumfosser in collis palatium mugio pratum saluto vos
#11, True to a point. The problem we have today is not so much a pure democracy, but a two party system where one side or the other shoots for 50+% to get a “mandate.” They feel that with just enough to tip the balance, they can do what they want.
That is how a true republic starts to lose its power — you have 50.001% of the population making the laws, picking the judges, and electing the representatives. And when things go south, the other side gets the majority and it starts all over again.
One of the underlying faults of our U.S. system is the historically incorrect granting of citizenship rights to corporations.
Corporations are not citizens and should never be allowed to function as citizens. They are merely legal arrangements, yet they have the same rights of citizenship as you or I do.
Do you have the same political power as Exxon, Halliburton, Allstate, Merck, GM, Dow and the rest?
This is where the US has failed the founding fathers intentions and become more and more democratic.
Originally, each branch of government had its own set of electors. The President was elected by the electoral college. The House was elected democratically by the people. The Senate was elected by each of the state legislatures. The Supreme Court was appointed by the President at the recommendation of the Senate.
Now the defacto electors of all our branches are the people. The electoral college only rubber stamps the vote of the people of the states, and many wish to eliminate that in favor of a popular vote. The Senate is popularly elected now, and the Supremes have become politicized to the point that the party of the President and Senate has the ultimate say in who will sit on the court.
If I could change anything, then I would suggest that there be a mechanism whereby ALL laws had to pass constitutional muster before being enacted. This is because Congress and the President have failed on their oaths to uphold the Constitution, and have decided that they shall pass any law they wish and leave the matter of constitutional challenge to those citizens that are affected adversely.
In effect, they say, “we shall do whatever we want and if you don’t like it, it is your problem to take us to court and change it”. That is tyrannical.
Very good propaganda. Just the right mix of fact, distorted interpretation and myth.
Oh and over simplification!
This is not an accurate video of what the political spectrum means and does not define the terms correctly. But the authors of course realise this, it is merely political propoganda coated under the veil of an explanitary video.
You have been had.
#1,
you dont see it??
How about the idea of putting the power back into the hands of the people and not the corps.
The problems he has is FORCING 150 representatives THAT WE ELECTED to do the right things to FIX anything.
Look up how bills are ADDENDUMized.
How corps get the money in the end insted of the ones it was meant for.
The BASIC laws of government SHOULD BE SET.. the only thing the gov SHOULD be doing is control of the corps and business and SAFETY of this nation.
Let’s see… in my own idiotic video I had it the other way around. As government size increases it is right wing. Makes just as much sense, which is no sense at all. The video starts by superimposing 2 metrics that are not compatible… so it’s all just junk at that point. Grade ‘F’ in political science for this.
Thankfully, we have a system of checks and balances! That means that banksters and other lobbyists write _checks_ to increase politicians’ reelection fund _balances_. The more money you have, the more “votes” you have. Crony capitalism at its finest (worst?)
It always gives me a kick when the various politicians and appointees take their oath of office where they swear to obey the Constitution. The unspoken but obviously present caveat is “only when it backs what I want to do.”
ALSO,
for you religious persons.
IF you hold your religious standards so high..they will SHOW as you represent your states, and SHOW in how you decide what Passes into LAW.
So religion has a basis IN our land, for the individual.
But I dont See much of it in the recent/past laws passed. where corps are making money.
#17:
Well, is there a more accurate description? Or is it so complicated that it defies abstraction?
#24 see #22 just for a start.
Oh, please! After teaching government for 30 years I find this so wrong… Yes we are a republic, yes we base it on democratic principles. That’s it… all the rest is lies.
Whoever wrote this narratives knows almost nothing about the history he keeps citing.
The history of Rome presented here, for instance, is preposterous. To claim that the Republic was a matter of power-to-the-people devolving into “government control” is blindingly stupid. Its use of the trusty right-wing/libertarian boogeymen for this purpose is laughable.
Do you really think that the governing power putting people “on the dole” — just to take one of the idiotic right-wing catchphrases — was something that came *after* the Republican phase of Roman history? Do you have any idea that subsidies from above were one of the primary tools of the the Republic from the first day of its existence?
Rome’s Imperial phase vastly *reduced* “government” handouts and bureaucratic/legislative powers from their height during the Republican period. Who but a total knob doesn’t know this?
#10 bobbo,
I agree with 100% of what you posted.
I was so suprised that I actually agreed with you 100% that I decided to post about.
The end.
I am SO HAPPY I have my AK-47. And several tins of ammo. Now, to finally get my bunker completed…
# 14 You miss the point.
The point is if you don’t have the majority you aren’t able to impose your views. Good.