Many people think that nations are either democratic or not - like a light switch that can only be on or off. There are different levels, like a dimmer switch. According to the writer of The Democratic Wish, James A. Monroe, these levels can be defined as "direct democracy"; power of the people without direct representation, "indirect democracy"; power of the people where there is an elect public representation, and "anarchism"; a society so democratic there is no need for authority. He concludes that Americans fear public power as a threat to liberty. Their government is weak and fragmented, designed to prevent action more easily to produce it. In the recurring

Is there a considerable mobilization of the people? According to Fred Nelson, a political science graduate student at Western Illinois University, there is a considerable impact on our current politics by many interests groups. He believes that many interest groups fail to take part in democracy because they feel that they are rarely represented in government. The following is taken from my interview with him:

Fred infers that interest groups and factions do no have a voice because of the system. This differs with Michael Nelson's assumption that we are quest for a direct democracy has likened our government to a bureaucracy. Fred later goes on to examine European democracy as being more efficient that American democracy because electoral systems are those that rely on proportional representation. Most PR systems rely on multiple-member districts, which means that several candidates are elected from each jurisdiction. That is, instead of only having one person represent you in the House of Representatives, you could have ten. Thus, if the Republicans get 40% of the vote, they would get four seats. If the Democrats get 20% of the vote they get two seats; and if the Environmentalist party gets 10% of the vote they would get one seat. In these systems voters are given more choice because it is more likely that the candidate or party that most closely represents them is more likely to win a seat in the House of Representatives giving them tangible representation in the legislature. Proportional representation is used very infrequently in the United States, although it is used in the vast majority of democratic countries around the world. Proportional Representation is used almost exclusively in Europe.

Monroe believes that the fear of public power has been perpetuated ever since the first

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Approximate Word count = 1220
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)