XPost: alt.society.liberalism, alt.atheism, talk.politics.guns   
   From: klausschadenfreude@yahoo.com   
      
   On Sat, 18 May 2013 09:38:13 -0500, Tom McDonald    
   wrote:   
      
   >On 5/18/2013 9:26 AM, Klaus Schadenfreude wrote:   
   >> On Sat, 18 May 2013 09:06:21 -0500, Tom McDonald    
   >> wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> On 5/18/2013 7:10 AM, Klaus Schadenfreude wrote:   
   >>>> On Sat, 18 May 2013 01:41:41 +0000 (UTC), Zepp  wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 17:27:43 -0700, Klaus Schadenfreude wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 14:53:00 -0500, RD Sandman   
   >>>>>>  wrote:   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Klaus Schadenfreude  wrote in   
   >>>>>>> news:msucp8hn3utue1ujitm37me0hulmgdbdkq@4ax.com:   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 17:20:43 +0000 (UTC), Zepp  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 08:16:09 -0700, Klaus Schadenfreude wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 15:10:26 +0000 (UTC), Zepp    
   >>>>>>>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 07:37:43 -0700, Klaus Schadenfreude wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 09:31:32 -0500, Free Lunch   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 07:29:38 -0700, Klaus Schadenfreude   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>  wrote in alt.atheism:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 09:28:56 -0500, Free Lunch   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 08:17:42 -0600, deep wrote in alt.atheism:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 09:06:49 -0500, Free Lunch   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>    
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You don't seem to understand the problem. Austerity at this   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> time hurts Europe and it hurts the US. Austerity supporters   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> have demonstrated their ignorance of economics.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Not really, that ignorance of economics was there before the   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> austerity measures were put into place to try and fix them.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Austerity during a recession is one example of ignorance by   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> political leaders. There's plenty of other nonsense that many   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> political leaders believe, economic and otherwise.   
   Reactionary   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> leaders tend to believe the most nonsense.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The problem with austerity is it's only austerity for the poor   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and middle class.  The wealthy get to have an orgy of rape of   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the national treasuries.  During periods of "austerity" the   
   top   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 1% keeps getting richer and richer while the poor have to   
   learn   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> how to get by without things like food and medical care.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Funny how the rich always do well.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Funny how you can't figure out why that might be.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> I know why.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> Do you really? Because you claimed it was "funny" and I'm guessing   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> you didn't think it was "ha ha" funny but that it was "Strangely   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> or suspiciously odd; curious" funny.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> So it sounded like you didn't understand why rich people "always"   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> do well.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> It's because they have a lot of money.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> Our alleged democracy   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> This isn't a democracy. Never has been. Perhaps your   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> misunderstanding of our government is the source of your   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> ignorance.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> What are the first three words in the Constitution, bubbles?   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> What does that have to do with democracy, dumb shit? Do you even   
   >>>>>>>>>> know what kind of government we have?   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>             [crickets.wav]   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> Yeah, didn't think so.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> What are the first three words of the Constitution, bubbles? It's not   
   >>>>>>>>> a very hard question. Google it if you don't know.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Completely irrelevant.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> The rest of the words very clearly demonstrate we're not a democracy.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Actually, there is very little difference between a republic and a   
   >>>>>>> representative democracy.  Too many people look at a democracy as only   
   >>>>>>> being a pure democracy, a direct democracy, etc to realize that there   
   is   
   >>>>>>> also a representative democracy.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> It's not a representative democracy either.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> 'Course it is. Ever hear of the House of Representatives?   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Yep. It's not a democracy. It was in all the papers.   
   >>>>   
   >>> Democracy: 1. Government by the people; government in which the supreme   
   >>> power is retained by the people and exercised either directly   
   >>> (*absolute* or *pure democracy*) or indirectly (*representative   
   >>> democracy*) through a system of representation.   
   >>>   
   >>> 2. A community or state so governed.   
   >>>   
   >>> Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Fifth Edition, 1937.   
   >>>   
   >>> Yup, we're a democracy. It's in all the dictionaries.   
   >>   
   >> Nope. The people don't wield supreme power.   
   >>   
   >Then who does, in your estimable estimation?   
      
      
   OK, it's pretty clear you people were sleeping during sixth grade   
   government........   
      
   s the United States a democracy?   
   The Pledge of Allegiance includes the phrase: "and to the republic for   
   which it stands." Is the United States of America a republic? I always   
   thought it was a democracy? What's the difference between the two?   
      
   The United States is, indeed, a republic, not a democracy. Accurately   
   defined, a democracy is a form of government in which the people   
   decide policy matters directly--through town hall meetings or by   
   voting on ballot initiatives and referendums. A republic, on the other   
   hand, is a system in which the people choose representatives who, in   
   turn, make policy decisions on their behalf. The Framers of the   
   Constitution were altogether fearful of pure democracy. Everything   
   they read and studied taught them that pure 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" (Federalist No. 10).   
      
   By popular usage, however, the word "democracy" come to mean a form of   
   government in which the government derives its power from the people   
   and is accountable to them for the use of that power. In this sense   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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