US Democracy

A detailed Summary of US Democracy


Is the Unites States Political System a Legitimate Democracy

In any system which claims to be democratic, a question of its legitimacy remains. A truly democratic political system has certain characteristics which prove its legitimacy with their existence. One essential characteristic of a legitimate democracy is that it allows people to freely make choices without government intervention. Another necessary characteristic which legitimates government is that every vote must count equally: one vote for every person. For this equality to occur, all people must be subject to the same laws, have equal civil rights, and be allowed to freely express their ideas. Minority rights are also crucial in a legitimate democracy. No matter how unpopular their views, all people should enjoy the freedoms of speech, press and assembly. Public policy should be made publicly, not secretly, and regularly scheduled elections should be held. Since "legitimacy" may be defined as "the feeling or opinion the people have that government is based upon morally defensible principles and that they should therefore obey it," then there must necessarily be a connection between what the people want and what the government is doing if legitimacy is to occur.


Private interests distort public policy making because, when making decisions, politicians must take account of campaign contributors. An "interest" may be defined as "any involvement in anything that affects the economic, social, or emotional well-being of a person." When interests become organized into groups, then politicians may become biased due to their influences. "Special interests buy favors from congressmen and presidents through political action committees (PACs), devices by which groups like corporations, professional associations, trade unions, investment banking groups-can pool their money and give up to $10,000 per election to each House and Senate candidate"(Lind, 157). Consequently, those people who do not become organized into interest groups are likely to be underrepresented financially. This leads to further inequality and, therefore, greater illegitimacy in the democratic system.



Some common words found in the essay are:
Legitimate Democracy, Peter Principle, Classical Liberals, Marbury Madison, House Senate, Power Congress, Imperial Presidency, Court Justices, War II, Senators Representatives, public policy, legitimate democracy, scheduled elections, regularly scheduled elections, regularly scheduled, policy publicly secretly, allows people, elect president, seniority system, publicly secretly, vote person, income education, public policy publicly,

Approximate Word count = 1316
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • Democracy In the US ... In the US, people are part of so many factions that it would be nearly impossible to ... Another concern of democracy is the rights of the majority and minority. ... 858 words
  • the us a lgitamate democracy The US a Legitimate Democracy In any system which claims to be democratic, a question of its legitimacy remains. A truly democratic ... 728 words
  • The US a Legitimate Democracy The US a Legitimate Democracy In any system which claims to be democratic, a question of its legitimacy remains. A truly democratic ... 1488 words
  • us a legitimate democracy The US a Legitimate Democracy In any system which claims to be democratic, a question of its legitimacy remains. A truly democratic ... 1393 words
  • Is the US a Legitimate Democracy The US a Legitimate Democracy In any system which claims to be democratic, a question of its legitimacy remains. A truly democratic ... 840 words

Professional Essays

  • US Democracy and Elections US Democracy and Elections 56602 Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few. ... 1658 words
  • Type of Democracy in the United States ... the fundraising balances at the Federal Election Commission and tell you what the election results will be before the election.ampquot US democracy has obviously ... 1038 words
  • Pure Democracy and the US Constitution ... Democracy does exist in the USin smalltown Vermont, where all of the villageamp39s adult residents gather for twiceyearly meetings to decide all of the townamp39s ... 3433 words
  • US Foreign Policy US Foreign Policy Democracy in Iraq ESSAY US military actions in Iraq are intent on destroying the regime of Saddam Hussein and rebuilding and replacing it ... 1054 words
  • The Lack of Critical Thinking in the US ... The Lack of Critical Thinking in the United States I. Introduction In his seminal book Taking the Risk Out of Democracy: Propaganda in the US and Australia ... 989 words
  • US involvement in the Viet Nam War ... There are nightclubs and discos and billboards.ampquot The US system of capitalism and democracy, currently flourishing on an unprecedented worldwide scale, has ... 1898 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.