On the last blog, most commentators suggested that a few people ruled the American population. A few commentators suggested that the American population is governed by the many. That the majority of commentators see the US government as ruled by the few and not the many: Is that a problem for democratic politics in America? Why or why not is it a problem?
Also, in class last week, we talked about some of the features associated with democratic politics. One important feature was accountability: the rulers had to be accountable to the ruled. Most members of the class, as far as I could see by asking you all to speak up, felt that American leaders were not accountable to the ruled. Is this a problem for democratic politics in America? Why or why not is it a problem?
If you are commenting on this post and neither of the above issues are seen as a problem for democratic politics in America: Can you identify any problems with democratic politics in America?
Ideally everyone should have a say, literally. I'm not talking about the current system, I'm talking about everyone's input somehow or another ends at the head honcho. Not just by means of representatives. Yes it will end up being an annoying task to hear what everyone has to say, but with a clever enough program, computer based, certain highlighted words would show up more often, and certain filters would allow a user to see what phrases are more used. It's a more accurate means to account for everyone's standpoints. It's a known fact that not everyone votes for many reasons, but if it was an anonymous poll that has little possibility of forgery, then everyone would be heard. Of course developing an unhackable program to display key words and phrases, and offer advice based on logic, therefore taking out the human factor voting would be more efficient and accurate.
ReplyDeleteBut the drawback is having idiots like those from 4chan spam votes. In any case, if it comes down to weather or not the current system works, in all honesty it works, just not very well.
Also, sorry to be an internet :kiddie" but first post!
I don't believe I could see any government, especially a democratic one, as being completely perfect. There will always be certain flaws just as our current one has now. One of which is the fact that the citizen vote does not matter in national elections. Of course it has its advantage for the news sources to determine a popular vote, but that's the problem: it only benefits the popular vote. So Americans begin to ask themselves if their vote would truly count as a result of this situation. I think that the true problem of government rests within the government itself. Although we focus on crime and other catastrophes that take place in our country, we fail to see that the government isn't even willing to allow us to vote for a leader that will better represent ourselves as Americans. If we want to improve our government and our lives, why can't we start by electing our own president? We, as citizens only know what is best in a leader. Maybe it's time for the government to realize that as well.
ReplyDeleteI’d have to say that the fact that America is ruled by the few, not the many, and that the rulers are not accountable to the ruled, are both big problems for democratic politics in America. As we talked about in class, both of these factors are major characteristics of a democracy; without them, democracy doesn’t exist. Democracy is literally defined as “the free and equal right of every person to participate in a system of government”, so when it comes to America being ruled only by the few, there’s obviously a direct opposition between “the few” and “every person”, as the definition states. Then there’s the problem of the rulers not being accountable to the ruled. You see it all the time in the media – citizens angry at the government because they haven’t justified their actions. It seems to me that until these two issues are addressed, the United States will never have a true, democratic society.
ReplyDeleteErin Shaw, 100.05
American feeling like the leaders don't take them into account is definitely a problem; it defeats the entire purpose of a democracy. The way we can be heard is by getting involved and through organization. But, if people feel as though they have no say or no voice, they will not feel any motivation to get involved. Citizens need to feel that their opinions matter on a larger scale. Americans can not feel that accountability in a system where the leaders are above us and unreachable. Things such as the electoral college separate everyday people with those who actually get to make the bigger decisions. We have to rely on our trust of those we elect to make decisions in our best interest, because we cannot make bigger dicisions on our own. To get rid of this problem everybody needs a voice with actual power. It needs to be a system where smaller voices can actually be heard.
ReplyDeleteI definetly think that the government officials are not held properly accountable to the people. They are able to rule without question and walk all over people because they have power. Only when there is scandal unrelated to governing is when action is taken, and at that only a slap on the wrist. Problems arise because so few of the population can actually make change and rule the country which is not what democracy is supposed to be about. It should be about the common good and overall what benefits everyone. We need a system where even the smallest voices are heard and can matter. The problem in the Us is that we have given power to those who dont understand what to do with it.
ReplyDeleteJessica Dant 100-05
The fact that the US is ruled by few is a problem democratically for the people. Like the local government the national elections should be influenced by the people not the electoral college. When the leader is being picked by them it isn't necessarily what the people want. The leaders are not accountable to the people. How could they be when they are on a whole other level than the average person. They are so far out of our reach it is usless to even try to hold them accountable for much of anything. You can rant and rave about how unjust it but you one voice isn't going to penetrate through all of the people who are around the president, lets not kid ourselves. The media is the main way large scale protests are heard about and dealt with.
ReplyDelete-Tiffany Anders
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ReplyDeleteI did agree in my posting on the last blog that America is truly ruled by the few. We do put up this front that we all get a say... and in some ways we do. We have our chance to be either in the majority or the minority on and issue... and if we end up in the minority we are largely ignored. Which is a very black and white system and leaves a lot to be desired.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the first question I think that it is a problem for democratic politics in America that we are governed by so few. The system we have set up in my mind is a lot like a pyramid... the general voting public at the bottom has their opinions and the further you make your way up the pyramid the more disconnected it gets from the the opinions of the 'masses' that make up the bottom. I really believe that if we gave a lot of the power back to the states and decreased the control of our federal government, as individual citizens we would have a lot more control in our political system.
Accountibility is always an issue when it comes to someone making policies that directly effect us. I think that in some ways our politicians are accountable... on the state level if a representative does not reflect the values of their constituents I have a hard time believing they would still have a job come election time. But as I said before, the higher you get in this political system the further out of touch you are with the general population... and that's a real problem.
I think that our government works... but it could be so much better. Someone is always lurking somewhere making decisions 'in my best interest' and I would like to start taking some of that on myself.
-Challee Blackwelder
In the last blog I said America is ruled by few. I feel as though that is a problem because every one's view is not always taken into account, as our leaders may say they are.
ReplyDeleteI do not think the leaders are very accountable. You have to go through so much trouble just to visit the White House, how would it ever be possible to sit down with the president? He is supposed to make decisions for the people, but how well can he do that if he doesn't know how we all feel?
Politics are all about give and take... you have to compromise. I think politics now don't do that. I think that's why we have such a problem getting polices passed now because neither party is willing to negotiate. I think the main issue is the fact we have two main party's that hate each other, they only seem to work for the party instead of working with the other to accomplish something. In a sense the are not accountable to the ruled. We may elect them to office but it doesn't change the party's polices. So whoever we elect will act in the favor of the party not us.
ReplyDeletein the last blog, I stated that the government was run by few. it just sucks that their are 2 main groups that don't get along because they both have 2 completely different views than the other. another problem i feel is that the people with the power take advantage of the people because they are the ones with the most control. but back to the main topic i believe the president should be the one who makes the decisions, that is what he is for.
ReplyDeletealyssa prager
In the last blog I said that America was rulled by the few. That is bad because whe us Americans have issues the people that are in charge don't really care so out problems don't really get resolved.
ReplyDeleteAlso the leaders are not very accountable because they never talk to people that arn't in higher ranks. They never talk to "normal" americans like us. They don't take into consideration what we want.
Megan Williams
Yes, I believe it is a big problem when we are only ruled by the few and not the many. For example, if only one person from just from the Appalachia Mountain region area was allowed to speak in the House or Senate, nothing would be agreed upon. It is such a vast area that what’s important to some people, may not be any concern for another. This example is what we have today in our government. It may not be as extreme as this case but the same nonetheless. This is the reason why being ruled by the few is a problem because it’s not what a democratic government is all about. I also believe that there is also a problem with the American leaders were not accountable to the ruled. You see all the time on CNN and other media about how the government is trying to cover their asses for things that they have done and citizens aren’t happy with the decision that are being made down in D.C. This is a problem because this is also a part of what a democratic government is about.
ReplyDeleteChristina Haag
there is a problem with being ruled by the few in a democratic government. Democracy is supposed to be ruled by the people; government officials our representatives for the people. like another student said there are differences in people depending on where you live and if you dont share the same thoughts as the few then it wouldn't be right for the many. government officials are not accountable they dont even know what the people want they will always make decisions that will be in favor of the party not the people.
ReplyDeleteIn the last blog, I was one of the many who said that the US government is ruled by the few. I think it is a problem for democratic politics in America because only those few who rule the government have power. They are the ones who take charge of all issues and who have control over all issues. It is a problem because they mostly base everything off of their own opinion and views rather than looking at the people's views. I do agree that American leaders are not accountable to the ruled aka the people. That is a huge problem for democratic politics because it interferes when the people vote. If all our votes for presidency don’t, in actuality, count, then it’s left to the “rulers” to go off their own views and pick who they believe is best. All in all its left up to them, not us, who gets picked as president and that’s a problem because we are the ones who may suffer if the wrong person is chosen.
ReplyDeleteI said that I believe that america is ruled by the few. I do think that it is a problem in american, but not a major one. Yes everyone should have a say but I also feel that the current situation we have right now is working just fine. Not everything is going to be perfect as much as we want it to be. Ideally, everyone should have a say but having the government rule by the many wouldn't be a good solution either. Either way, people aren't going to be completely satisfied. I believe the fact that american leaders are not accountable to the ruled is a problem. We should be able depend on them to make decisions in our best interest. In a perfect world, this would happen easily. However, we do not live in a perfect world. could our government improve? yes. As for now, I am content with how our government is run.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the fact that America is primarily run by a few and not many is large problem in America. Our government is run based on the fact the everyone’s voice is heard, and no one should have a problem speaking their mind. Well as an American, I feel that I cannot speak up by MYSELF and know that my voice is heard. The political people in America, for example the president and your local government, take into consideration of what you feel but they do not listen to you individually. Yes, your local senates and government take into consideration on how the people feel but it is based on the majority of the people.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that the leaders are not very accountable. In reality there are only a few people who are in charge of the country and make the final say. They say that they do what the people want to make them people happy, but that is not always the case. For example, it’s a huge deal that the people vote and everyone makes an effort to get out and vote, but they people aren’t actually voting; the Electoral College does.
Jenna Benke 100.05
America being ruled by the few posts a problem. I wouldn't consider our current situation horrible, but I would say it has the potential to escalate into a more drastic situation. Democracy itself I believe exists in a way for individual people to have their say, equal to that of every guy out there. But with the representatives representing the people, I think they have to exhibit more of a 'broad' account based on what many people want.. This broad perspective I think kind of ruins the individual opinions of many by having to make a more broad representation. I agree with the very first post, among others, but mainly the first that mentions some sort of process to hear EVERY individual's opinion, and maybe that would allow for a more specific representation of individuals. That is one of the main issues I feel that is present in today's democracy.
ReplyDeleteKristi Barrett
I was also one from the last blog who said America is ruled by the few. I think it is a problem that Americans do not have a say in their president. Democracy exists for all people to have a right in their say, but if their say really doesn't matter than what is the point in a democracy? I think by listening to more individuals, Americans would get a more realistic view as to how we want the country to be ran.
ReplyDeleteI agree with basically everyone on here. There is not enough accountability for the people holding the power in this country. If the president is supposed to rule for the people, how can he do that without knowing how the people feel toward issues?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with whoever said that the only time people with power are held accountable is when they get caught doing something wrong. The only things you ever hear about the people higher up are things like sex scandals. Clearly, they are not being held accoutable for their actions because a lot of them still hold power after they've been exposed.
A democracy that is ruled by the few cannot be a true democracy because by definition democracies are ruled by the people or by leaders who represent the people. The leaders' representation of the people would be their accountability, and I personally think that the few who run the nation are not acountable for the people. Of course it is hard to be accountable for everyone in such a diverse nation, but they could definitely be doing a better job to represent the people. A democracy cannot function as a true democracy without being run by many and with much accountability from the leaders; therefore, there are problems with the "democratic" politics of the U.S.
ReplyDeleteLaura Gentile 100.04
Democratic politics in American are suppose to represent the people, the group, and the nation as a whole. The fact that many american citizens agree that the our nation is governed by the few and not the many is a big problem for everything democracy stands for. As for as accountability, that is one of the main features of a democracy. When only a few people are accountability for the whole group of people, it is obviously going to be hard to be held accountable for everyone. To be a ruler of many and consider everyones different needs and wants would be very difficult for one person to accomplish, becoming a ruler of the few is inevitable.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte Marion
Few do rule America, and this is a problem for America. The opinions of Americans are not be accounted for, and the ones in charge don't seem to really mind as long as they're getting paid. A true democracy doesn't really exist in the U.S. like it should. America is a large nation but the rulers could be doing a better job at essentially doing their jobs. Americans don't have really have a say about anything that happens to the nation or the people in it, like the war overseas. I'm sure many disagree with it all together. America's government should turn into the real democracy that it's acclaimed to be, but I highly doubt this will happen any time soon as least.
ReplyDeleteAmerica being ruled by the few doesn’t really have any democratic politics problems. We don’t want too much democracy which often leads in to tyranny. All I believe the government need to do is listen more often to its citizens. They are the “heart” of this great nation. We help a lot of foreign nations, but don’t significally help out the low classes in our region. Government spend way too much on outsiders which should be reduces. Either tax should be raised on individuals depending on salary they make or a flat percentage should be tax to every individual which should make life fair.
ReplyDeleteAlso everyone should be able to govern and vote for a ruler in terms that everyone’s votes count. The main reason low classes cannot run as government official is due to poverty. Few will make it out poverty, but more is needed. America tends to look a lot on government officials wealth and family tree. Seems we want to make sure the person in office isn’t only trustworthy with money, but mostly important if their parent or ancestor have done something great for the nation.
In terms of accountability, Americans not being accountable to the ruler makes it a problem. They need to have the facts about what is going on in the government before criticizing how bad the leader is. Whatever goes in our nation impacts our everyday Life. Nation issue should be a concern, but both ruler and citizen of the nations need to corporate to prevent any crisis. True the citizen don’t have too much say in what is going on in congress, but we at least have the chance to elect a representative to speak for us. The ruler has a great accountability for its citizen, but he surely cannot solve every individuals issues. If people could acknowledge the hard time president goes through to protect this nation, there will be less argument about how the ruler isn’t doing his job.
Frank Oben
In my las blog post I said that I felt America was ruled my just a very select few individuals. This is still how I continue to feel today.I am not thrilled with everything that goes on in our government, though. I do think we should have more say in what goes on because after all this is what true Democracy is supposed to be about. I do wonder sometimes how the President of the United States can make decisions for all of us when he really does not know how we are feeling on the subject or where it is that we stand.I realize that he cannot certainly take into consideration everyone's wishes or beliefs and this is why few people in our country end up making the decisions for us. We are the land of the free and the brave and this is why I am thankful. To me part of being in a Democracy is being allowed to voice my opinions, just as we do here on these blogs every week,and also being able to worship as I please. There are many negative things to be said about our government but I am glad I can go to church and proudly say I am Christian without being persecuted. I n distant lands many lose their lives simply because they choose to worship God or because they have religious beliefs. All in all, America is a wonderful place to live. Laura Remsburg 100-04
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the fact that America is "ruled by a few" is purely strategic and methodical. The larger number of opinions you have in play the more difficult it becomes to reach a decision. So if you can have a small number of people that represent the ideals, value, and opinions of a larger group, debating issues and making decisions hopefully gets easier. In this sense I believe American citizens have partial word of the decisions being made for the greater population. When debating if our voice is heard I feel it is important to be realistic in knowing the way our government is run brings efficiency to our law and decision making process. Rather than letting every single American voice their opinion individually.
ReplyDelete-CLay Delauter 100-04
The fact that the American goverment is run by the few, not the many is a huge problem in our system. A democratic government by definition is a goverment run by the people, and the fact that the people's opinions are often cast aside or ignored goes completely against what our system is for. An example of this is in the movvie we are currently viewing in class, where the senator admits to forgetting everything that he promised to the African American community he visits. They ask what happend to all the money that he was suppose to give them to rebuild their community and he simply answers that they pretty much forgot about that. Politicians going into office feed the people so many empty promises to lead us on, but end up pushing many problems of the people away. The opinions and the problems of the people that are suppose to be valued by our government and run our government, are ignored.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the leaders are not very accountable because not everyone is heard individually, everything is a majority vote. Also, voting is such a big deal in this country and there are so many posters, banners, and organizations trying to persuade people to vote and that their vote counts, but if you think about it, it really doesn't-- The Electoral College decides.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is a problem that America is ran by the few and not the many. We all should be taking part in it but unfortuantly the government dosen't really let that happen.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to accountability, I don't think that they are. They are only accountable when they need to be.
-Rebecca Harrelson
In my last blog I said that the government is run by a few,which is unfotunate because the people are limited, and should have a bigger voice in poltics and rights of s citizen. We
ReplyDeletedo have a voice but it's overshadowed by what others want to hear. I believe that for accountability they only are accountable when they need to be or in fact when they want the votes.
-Elizabeth Higgins
I don't have a problem with rule by the few in theory. Sometimes it is better to have a concentrated government. However, the problem in America is that everything is muddied by these large number of essentially useless members of congress. You have large numbers of people who instead of being representative are being lead by the nose by relatively few people. Unfortunately, they are not few enough to stream line governmental processes nor are these few representative of the average American. Decisions often get dragged out so that they are practically obsolete by the time they are in effect unless its pushed really hard (companies/gov with agendas often not in the average American's best interest). Because that really isn't bad enough, how about trying to find these few people running things and hold them accountable? They'll hide behind all those other numbers, oops I mean members, pointing fingers and making sure that any bad or corrupt decision can't be led back to them. Removing accountability essentially says "do what you want because I can't do anything about it" which is pretty much the opposite idea of democracy where everyone's supposed to have a say and should be able to do something about it. Try and fix the system, elect new people sure that will be great --Not. Unless your replacing the majority of congress. Even the president has to deal with the red tape (although in some cases I am very grateful for that). The point is no one or even few people will make a difference even if congress is actually being led by a few unless your replacing these specific few. As I said it is not rule by the few in theory that is bad. If I know who is in charge and responsible I can hold say even 50 people responsible a lot easier than say the over 500 congress members. And the fewer the people, the easier it is to make a speedy decision that might actually be useful.
ReplyDeleteI believe the government is ruled by the few, but whether or not this is entirely a bad thing is a completely different stand. Sometimes not having so many people in control of everyone's lives isn't such a bad thing. but then again having just a few people creating your path could be a very bad thing. I guess it all depends on what kind of government you have, who is in control, and what the situation is. You can't just go by one thing, you must look at all options in order to survive. Our government isn't accountable for so many things they do or create. We are very weak in claiming what and what we are not accountable for, and this is very sad to admit. I believe our government must take credit for the things they succeed at and fail at. They need to truly claim their people and support them in order to be a true democracy and to let the people know that the government is just made up of regular people that do feel like they are still connected to the rest of the country. Accountability is needed and demanded by everyone, now the government needs to do their part.
ReplyDeleteAnna Wilt
I believe America is ruled by the few, but the population does have the chance to choose who those few will be. By voting in each election you can help choose who will make the decisions for you and thats how you can hold them accountable. Once they are elected there isnt much that can be done until the next election which could be a problem. Even then it can be hard to hold them accountable because there are many uneducated voters. Many people go out and cast a vote for democrat or republican rather than voting on who will be the best for the job. The government will highlight what is going right while trying to hide all the negatives. Eventhough this our democracy has its flaws, I dont think much can be done to fix it. It could be far worse than what it is now.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the fact, which I believe in, that America is ruled by a few people is alright up until the point where those few people lose sight of what the majority of the people of the United States want. When this happens, the few in power are out of touch with their base and either need to hurry back or leave office and let someone who knows what the people want to be allowed in to the mix of the ruling peoples. When the ruling people fail to do this, they lose accountability to those that they rule. This is a MAJOR problem for democratic politics in America. When the rulers lose accountability, they are no longer trusted and frankly, may even feel that they don’t need to be. They feel that as long as they are in a place of power, that they should have the final say in all matters with no respect for what the American public thinks or wants. It’s time for the leaders of our country to finally figure out that we don’t want the same old Washington. We want people in office that will stand up for what is right and what the people want.
ReplyDeleteChad Starner
I've yet to hear of a form of government that I believe is perfect, but the one that sounds the most appealing is one where everyone has input. I realize that there are so many of the many, and it would be difficult if not impossible to fairly hear everyone out, but it still seems ideal. America is, in fact, ruled by the few rather than the many. Each of our voices is very limited in the government we have.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone would like a say in their government but realistically, it is impossible to make everyone happy because everyone wants different things. It's a problem but it's something that we kind of do to ourselves. I think there are a lot of pros and cons to having few people in office as well as having a lot of people in office. I don't think any government will ever be perfect. I don't really know what people would want to do to fix this "problem." I think if we had anymore people in our government, there would be a lot more debate than there already is, and a lot more confusing.
ReplyDeleteI would say it is a problem to be ruled by the few and not be ruled by the many. If you're ruled by the few then they will make decisions based on what they think and what they want without taking into account the majorities wants and needs. I also think it is a problem if the rulers are not held accountable by the ruled. If they aren't then they will continue to do whatever they want, even if it has negative effects on the people they rule, just because they know they can get away with it and nothing will happen to them because they don't have to answer to the people.
ReplyDeleteFeeling that the leaders are not accountable for the people and that America is ruled by the few not the many are problems with our society. These are two key factors that make a democracy and we don’t really have either. To be truly democratic the government would have to listen to the public. It is clearly a problem when you see people in the media disagreeing with the government. On a daily basis I see people bashing the government and putting their opinions out there. Because the government doesn’t feel accountable they don’t pay attention to what the people have to say. If we lived in a more democratic society the government would care what each person had to say. If they paid more attention that would move America towards being ruled by the many. The few would not be the only person who had a say.
ReplyDeleteEmily Johnson
Whether our country is ruled by few or by many no one will be happy with what is being done. I feel like that is my broken record answer but let’s be honest we can talk to our faces turn blue but the decision made by one man or one woman will probably not make the ten men and woman satisfied. Every person has a different take on what issue is most important. Would it be easy to roll up to the White House and sit down with the president and have a discussion about how the government is affecting me? Sure that would be great, but this is 2010 and people are building bombs in their basement, it’s a completely different time period. I don’t blame Barack Obama for rolling down Pennsylvania Ave with 15 SUV’s, tinted windows, and a secret service with automatic weapons. He’s the first black president. He’s the president in a time when the economy isn’t so well, and while we’re still fighting a war. It’s an understatement to say that a lot of people aren’t happy. Accountability means absolutely nothing! Once they are out of office and away from the lime light what challenges do they face? No one is knocking at their door with complaints. I for one don’t think George Bush is beating himself up over the way he handled the country. He’s riding horses and watching the Rangers in the baseball playoffs. And after Obama leaves the White House he’ll check out the Bulls. To me politics is a revolving door, politicians come in and either do a bad job or do a good job and that only depends on what side you stand on. I think our country is at times is way too divided, we can’t agree on anything and then instead of working out an issue it turns into an argument.
ReplyDeleteTim Zeigler
I feel that fewer people ruling our government is not good because there is not a big debate. Even though there shouldn't be to many people so there isn't a huge debate over things. The democratic party shouldn't have a problem unless the republicans are in charge of most things. If things are equal between the both then i feel it is easier to debate and come to an agreement on things.
ReplyDelete--Sabina Nicewarner
Knowing that America is ruled and run by a few number of people shows that we have problems in our democratic politics in America. In order to have a true democratic society the people have to be included in how the country is ruled and run and the the leaders of our society would take the peoples views and feelings about different topics into consideration when making decisions. When it comes to leaders being accountable for the ruled it is seen that they do not accomplish this. This can be changed by simply listening to the people and using their advise sometimes. This will definitely lead the country to successful democratic politics.
ReplyDeleteLast week I said the government was ruled by few, and I think that is not a good thing, because as an individual you cannot be heard. There is no way to be heard, if there are only a few and you can't even speak to them how could anyone do anything? As for accountability I think the government is only accountable when they feel necessary. When the world is in crisis like a threat to our country I think they do what they should or at least try, but on a day to day basis I say definitly not.
ReplyDeleteEmily Van Gilder
The last blog i was more convinced the government was ruled by a few. Its a problem because it makes the people feel like there is no hope to try and be involved. THis just gives more and more power to the government. Which will eventually defeat the purpose of democracy. So its a pretty bad idea to have so many elites in a government.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think that it is necessarily a bad thing that we are governed by the few (elitism). As it was explained in class, America is a republic not a true democracy. We elect representatives of the people. It is only when we feel that we aren't being properly represented that we have a problem.
ReplyDeleteOur "rulers" have to be voted into office and then again to retain their offices, so I suppose that election time is the most obvious example of accountability. (What about the Supreme Court Justices?) It's frustrating to be in the minority.
I do not think that the government is ruled by few causes an immediate problem. I think that our citizens are so worried about politician's platforms and issues, that they do not really notice that their voice isn't necessarily heard. As far as accountability, I don't feel like our government officials take it. I agree with Nathan (above) when he says that the most obvious example of when our government officials take accountability. I think I may see this statement in a different manner though. I feel during campaign and elections, politicians take accountability, however, once they are elected into office, they relieve themselves of accountability.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most people who say that even though it would be nice to have a perfect democratic government i doubt it would hapen. But i do feel that everyone's opinion should matter and have an effect. today our opinion just goes to someone higher up and they get to voice the people point. BUt they dont have to. they can vote for whomeve they want. i feel this should be differnt and that everyones vote should count. yes it would make elections a lot longer and be harder to do but then we would be truely democratic and we can all say that our vote actually went toward electing the next president or whatver it may be.
ReplyDeleteI feel there are to many people in government. There are so many levels of government and so many branches, that are "supposed" to keep the other branches in balance, that it really does give the government a lot of power. At the same time I do not know if America is ready to be totally democratic because I do not believe that people are educated enough on politics to actually make the vote that they should. It is just hard to make a perfect government happen and I do not think ours is going to change for a while
ReplyDeleteDavid Leonard
Democracy by definition is a political form of government in which governing power is derived from the people, either by direct democracy or representative democracy. This suggests that all American citizens have a say in how they want the government to rule. We know this is not true because, like we discussed in class, we do not even elect the president. The Electoral College always has power to over-rule the majority vote of the people. The United States cannot be a fully Democratic nation because that would mean involving every single citizen in every single decision that would affect them which we all know is impossible. We have local representatives that make it a little easier but even they cannot speak with everybody directly. So, obviously there are many problems with our “democracy” but I do not see a change happening anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteCatherine Pevahouse 100.03
In the last blog I said that America and I stand behind this because you may have many different people in the different systems but for the most part they all believe the same thing. If you are a democrat you are going to agree with other democrats this also goes for republicans and all the other parties that exist in our society. I think that if each person made their own decisions on how they voted not just based on party that our system would be more democratic. The way the vote goes generally speaking is the opposite party of the who is in the white house if they don't like the things are going. If the people like the way things are going they will vote for the party that is in power. I guess it goes with what the people think in a way but it also goes with which party is in control of the white house and congress
ReplyDeleteJenica Anders
In the last blog I stated that the USA was ruled by a few. I still believe that. Even though we want to believe that we make an differnce we don't. The only way if any we can make an diffenence is on the community basis. Like with the own Town Votes. I have been watching the news about the run for Senator Byrd's seat and who will get it. It is a joke in one way. Each candiate is having adds about the other candiate which candiate do we believe.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the government is ruled over a few. I think this is a big problem because a Democratic society is supposed to be run by the people, but in fact is run by two parties. These positions may be elected by us but they hold no accountability towards us when they vote. The vote for whatever they believe what favors their party the most. In a true democratic system the people must be head, but in reality they are in the shadows.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many different branches of government and all these branches in a way are supposed to support each other and balance each other out. although i agree with a democratic governmnt i don't believe the people of america are educated o make the right decisions. several times i heard people say during our last election they were going to vote obama due to his ethnicity. They made this decision due to it being a never before seen event. It is so hard to have a perfect government an i personally dont think it is possible.
ReplyDeleteAmerican Politics have alot of problems, as does any Nations Government. Corruption is impossible to rid. The problem I see is that cooperations give huge amounts of money to political parties to get them elected. And in return expect something back to help there companies profit grow. It takes away from the interest of the peoples.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the features the political system in the US is a competitive 2 party system. Originally, in the formation of the USA, there was a rejection to a party system. In George Washington farewell speech warned the nation against parties. For a short period of time there was no party system but John Adams Supported a strong central government While Jefferson was for state rights in the Democratic - Republican Party. Jefferson was the third president following Adams but was the first to be elected on from a political nomination.
ReplyDeleteThe founding fathers of America were against parties because they were afraid of the country being divided in parts; thus, creating a chaotic environment. American politics was based on the system of checks and balances and balance is the key to American mindset. A single- or multi-party system creates unbalance. Two parties cannot represent the will of the entire nation. There is always a difference of feelings even within a party and sometimes they will split.
The country is been reported to have the majority of the population as conservative but also moderate. The least is liberal and moderate. The last 4 elections have been based on white working class or independents. Almost ¾ of people in the independent party voted left last election but the current poles seem to have change drastically to the right. Thank the lord.
Our system of government is far from perfect but in my opinion, it is the best form of government there is. There needs to be a level of accountability that the people need to keep our elected politicians too. Nobody is above the law. There are times in the government that can’t be made public. Military information that can put the soldiers at risk or release information that we are spying on so country to maintain our advantage in information gathering so we can be one step ahead of anyone that would commit harm on us or our allies.
This is an argument that cannot be won but manly to agree to disagree. We do need a better form of vetting our politicians to gain knowledge and not in a fashion of putting them down and making lies up but true vetting.
Leonard Francesconi
It is irresponsible that people that lead our country are not responsible for any or most of their actions. Normal people like us, are always responsible for our actions and more times than none we pay for it with way more harsh punishment that our leaders also depending on our social class. This is a major problem because our leaders are excused from torturing people and can make up any excuse just to cover themselves. This means noone is responsible so noone can be punished for their actions.
ReplyDeletei believe that the people that rule our country like the president and others who make hard decision should not be accountable for any unless they are not doing to help our country. yes we Americans do represent democratic but ill country is more important that democratic.
ReplyDeleteI feel that there is a problem with America being governed by the elected few in terms of remaining democratic. The elected officials are the ones passing laws which affect U.S. citizens, not the citizens themselves. If America were to be truly democratic shouldn't it be the citizens that pass laws into affect? I understand that with the large number of citizens it would be extremely difficult for each citizen too be allowed to vote for every law that is voted on, but major issues such as the health care bill should be voted on by the citizens.
ReplyDeleteA politicians accountability is not held with their voters in my opinion, and I feel that this is another flaw in the American government. The Congressmen that are elected by their state are not always looking out for the best interest of their voters. Although sometimes the representatives are not re-elected, often times voters choose their Congressional representatives based on familiarity of the name. Therefore if the person has misrepresented their voters in the past it is possible that uninformed voters could continue to receive neglect from their representatives.
In an ideal democratic world, everyone would have a say, and the ruler would constantly be held accountable ruled. I don't think America is anywhere near this kind of democracy. Yes, more accountability would be good, but that would mean having to keep up and know more about current news and issues in the country. I don't think many Americans really care to keep up the level of participation that would be required of them. Of course we all argue about issues at times when we think it really counts, like around election time. But really, all the other times when we should be carefully reading and discerning different policies and etc., those are the times we should be also participating in the politics of the US. So yes I think it is a problem that the rulers are not often held accountable to the ruled, but I also think that a lot of people really just don't care about it. I'm not saying thats a good thing, I'm just stating a belief.
ReplyDeleteJessica Lisk - 100:05
In reality, giving everyone a say is not as good as it sounds. Masses have been swayed in the past to do the bidding of one person, with the power of words. If you give every single person in a democratic society the chance to make a decision by mass appeal then many things can go wrong. People can be caught up in the moment of politcal campaigns and can be led on like sheeple (people who follow unquestioning) to their own slaughter because they do not fully comprehend the entire global situation. If you had given the entire united states the ability to decide the appropriate action and response to 9/11, then we most likely would have nuked the middle east in a mad feud over a terrorist attack not committed by a single country. If people can become emotional, then it gives them to great of a chance to make irrational decisions.
ReplyDeleteDevin
In the last blog, I stated that I think America is ruled by the few. I also stated how this is a problem but also a very sticky situation to fix. The only way to fix this problem is to find the happy medium. With being ruled by the few, the leaders do not come across as being accountable, but it would be impossible to be sufficiently ruled by the many. I think america needs to be able to be ran by more than the few but not by everyone. It needs to made easier for people to put their views and feelings made known, so Our leaders can be more accountable, but not everyone can easily make or change laws...things just wouldn't work that way. We just need to find the happy medium.
ReplyDeleteCanaan Metz
The government being controlled by the few open up a lot of problems. By being controlled by just a few leaders basically gives them the power. That gives them the power to make all the decisions, that we should make as a nation as a whole. While they are making all the decisions they are also taking away what a democracy is. We already found out that we don't vote on the president and probably don't vote on but a select few national elections. When only select few people have control now, that can only lead to those people using all of their power eventually. As the government has basically complete control, they are some-what accountable for all of us. The American government looks at things on a bigger scale. Some of the things that affect us doesn't impact them. They have bigger things to worry about such as terrorism. The American government is worried about the nation as a whole more than city to city or state to state.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Sawyers
It could be a problem that America is ruled by the few and not the many. We don't follow the set definition of democracy and when we say that we believe in democracy but don't have all the qualities, we are going against what we say. This could become more of a problem if it becomes more prevalent. If leaders take advantage of being one of the few leaders and become greedy then there would be huge problems. I do believe that more people should be heard on topics but it's not a huge deal in America. The government runs and has been ran the way it is for quite some time. For the topic of accountability, I believe it is quite important, but not on the highest level. That is only because a representative can't be accountable for every individual and every thought that these individuals have. They should be accountable on major topics though. This is especially important because of the fact that it is ran by the few. If it is ran by the few and the representatives are not accountable at all then it shouldn't be called a democracy.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that not many of us believe that the rulers here were accountable to the ruled is probably not a good thing. That would mean that the leaders are doing only what is in their own interests, and not paying attention to what the population thinks. However, I do think that some politicians are sincerely trying to act in the best interests of American citizens, but they seem to be the ones that get their ideas and proposals shot down. So it seems like even if they are concerned with what the population wants, it doesn't really matter since most politicians only fight for what they themselves want. No wonder people are always upset with the government if they never do what's in the interest of the people. But we continually pledge support to certain politicians saying they'll do what's best for us. Unfortunately, it never seems to end up that way.
ReplyDeleteNathan Arch
So far I still see America as ruled by many, because when i think of a few I am thinking something like a group of people or something like oligarchy. We have representatives from each state to be in the congress and of course the number of representatives depend on the population. There are 400 and some representatives in the congress, wouldn't that be many? This is difficut because clearly each one of us have a different definition of a few and many. I think this is why we cannot agree on the same point.
ReplyDeleteI think accountatbility represent an important issue, because if none of us feel that our leaders are accountable how are we able to trust the government. The leader doesn't only representing himself/herself, he/she is representing the government.
It's tough for me to really take a side on how our government should be run. My biggest problem with our government though would be the whole accountability thing. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that there's always an excuse for this or that. I think it is absurd that there are snipers on top of the White House. I hate that a person can't even talk one on one with the president because of all the risks. The movie we watched this week really was a good representation of what I picture our government to be, and that is really sad. I think sometimes our government officials forget about the middle and lower class and what would be best for them. The thing is though is we can't just have any Joe Smoe from the street walk in and be a Senator or a president. I do think we need someone who knows politics. It would just be nice for someone to be in office that knew their politics but was willing to take risks for the country and wasn't so concerned about being reelected.
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ReplyDeleteSamanthia McQuade 100.03
Leaders are not accountable to the people in America because we are such a large group. If a leader was obligated to talk to us about every problem we had with him, he would get nothing done in office. Being accountable would be doing what they were elected to do by us, not answering our constant question. There will be times when he answers general questions the public is asking, but to expect them to answer everyone is asking too much.
ReplyDeleteWith a few in control of the masses it is a issue when talking about a democratic system. If we were to look at a democratic government as we all know people are mainly in charge of themselves and the government plays a very small role. I feel that some things in our government should change, such as accountability to the public, but on the whole I think our system works better than many in other countries. As I said before, I do feel that there is not much accountability being held to the governing officials. I think people would feel more like they had a voice in their society and that they were cared about more if we could have a bigger voice in the process of dealing with corrupt officials and on key issues such as national security. Victoria Norris
ReplyDeleteThe fact that our government leaders are not responsible is defiantly a problem but at the same time i realize that i have no idea what kind of decisions he has to make and how a failed attempt might be a good result by them. Also how would we hold them accountable. What kind of a punishment would we give them. These questions would have to be answered far before i could make a decision on if they should be punished or not. I don't think i want to know all the things that go on with the government.
ReplyDelete