zappaisgod said:

unbeliever said:

We've got a lock on inbred hill billies. Fuck yeah, America is #1!

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I think that might actually go to the Irish.

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Disco Cat said:

This might be of interest to people:

Democracy Index

"The Economist has in a study examined the state of democracy in 167 countries and attempted to quantify this with an Economist Intelligence Unit Index of Democracy which focused on five general categories; free and fair election process, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation and political culture."

Here is the report

Top 10 democracies in the world:

1. Sweden
2. Iceland
3. Netherlands
4. Norway
5. Denmark
6. Finland
7. Luxembourg
8. Australia
9. Canada
10. Switzerland
.
.
.
17. USA

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Might that be because the US is a Republic?

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Might that be because the US is a Republic?

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Yes. I've lived in Switzerland and they have a much more robust democracy than the US, which truly represents the will of its people. With almost every issue there is a referendum and citizens are encouraged to vote on all of them. Moreover laws often vary from canton (district) to canton depending on what the people in that given area want to have.

For instance, certain cantons wanted to criminalise weed and have continuously asked the people via referendum, who responded with a resounding, "Hell no!" This is why weed remains decriminalised in certain areas to the point where you can roll yourself a spliff in a bar. Could you ever imagine the US government giving its people this much power and responsibility?

...Hence the US' position on that list.

buckwheat said:

Might that be because the US is a Republic?

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Quote:

I'm serious....we should have just let the south cede.

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Virus_with_Shoes said:

Quote:

Might that be because the US is a Republic?

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Yes. I've lived in Switzerland and they have a much more robust democracy than the US, which truly represents the will of its people. With almost every issue there is a referendum and citizens are encouraged to vote on all of them. Moreover laws often vary from canton (district) to canton depending on what the people in that given area want to have.

For instance, certain cantons wanted to criminalise weed and have continuously asked the people via referendum, who responded with a resounding, "Hell no!" This is why weed remains decriminalised in certain areas to the point where you can roll yourself a spliff in a bar. Could you ever imagine the US government giving its people this much power and responsibility?

...Hence the US' position on that list.

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Quote:

Switzerland and those perfect little culturally homogeneous European countries are not good examples of the real world.

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Of course. This country is a figment of my imagination and all of its peoples are living in a bubble. Does the same goes for every other European country that has a more democratic system than the US'? What you've just said is actually quite insulting.

Switzerland is far from being culturally homogenous and contains French, Swiss-German, Italian and Romansch speakers all with their own distinctive cultures. But let's discount it from what we consider the real world, because it's tiny and European. I've lived and worked there for over a year and can honestly tell you that, yes, it is the real world. It is also far more democratic ...

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The thing that pisses me off is that the US has, by far, the largest economy and it could easily have the best health care and education systems in the world though this is not the case. Wasted potential...

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Virus_with_Shoes said:

Switzerland is far from being culturally homogenous and contains French, Swiss-German, Italian and Romansch speakers all with their own distinctive cultures. But let's discount it from what we consider the real world, because it's tiny and European. I've lived and worked there for over a year and can honestly tell you that, yes, it is the real world. It is also far more democratic ...

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Culturally was the wrong word i admit when referring Switzerland ive been there. Politically, perhaps ostensibly because low populations and decent economies don't let problems arise hence "real world". These countries don't work when you add more and more truely different people. Look at Denmarks reformed immigration policy,what happens when a new majority with different ideas emerges? Different situation in the US and larger countries.

blackegg said:

The sad part is and I think this is the main difference between 'Reps' and 'Dems' (if i may be so bold) is that Dems see helping those on the bottom as not only a moral thing to do but a financial thing as well.

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