The late Cpt Dawe

[Eraedan]

I think we have the best form of government on the planet

I really and truly beg to differ. It can be argued that you may have one of the best concepts for a federal government on the planet, but how it operates and functions is a whole other matter. What you have is an elected dictatorship with no real population representation. That's not a democracy. The president doesn't want to listen to Congress? He doesn't have to. Veto ftl. Can you demand a new election? Nope.

Congress is supposed to represent the people of the US, and the President is supposed to lead the nation and execute national concensus as determined through Congressional votes. That doesn't happen on pivotal issues, that I've seen. Not in the last 7 years, anyway.

edit: Personally, my vote for best system of government is Belgium. They have what Canada is attempting to implement, which is MMP governance. MMP = Mixed Member Proportional. What happens in Canada is that you have 5 or 6 candidates in each riding (electoral area), but whoever gets the most votes gets the spot. All other votes go by the wayside. With MMP, if 40% of Canadians vote for Conservative, 40% of the seats in the House of Commons will be Conservative. 50% Liberal? Half the seats in the House are Liberal.

THAT'S true representative democracy.

[Sarsin]

The president doesn't want to listen to Congress? He doesn't have to. Veto ftl. Can you demand a new election? Nope.

It depends on what you define as "not listen to Congress". If you are talking about the new tactic of declaring a country's army a "terrorist group" to skirt Congress' power to declare war is garbage. However, our checks and balances system would work if it wasn't super-charged politics. The Democrats right now are just pushing bills to make Republicans look bad when they veto or vote against them. They know darn well that they barely hold the majority so they can pass bills on party lines but can't muster enough votes to overturn a veto. Our country is so split down the middle that both sides would have to work together to come to passable compromises, but no one is willing to do so. They can't just sit down and say "We don't agree on everything but we are the leaders of the free world. Maybe we should figure some stuff out together to keep us trucking along". Instead we have gone to Fox Football style politics where we ra-ra for our side and the other side is a bunch of bastards. Liberals are all tree hugging hippies. Republicans are war-mongering haters of minorities and the poor. The pundents won't be happy until we're having 300-style battles over policy. Fuck working together, Congress should be like the Thunderdome. Two parties enter, one party leaves and makes all the decisions. Unless we can learn to see eye-to-eye about our differences and make logical compromises, this country is going to keep heading down the tubes.

/Rant off. Again.
//I really do love my country, that's why this crap pisses me off

[Caviel]

However, our checks and balances system would work if it wasn't super-charged politics.

That's just it, they are watching out for their party and self-image, not the country as a whole. I'm totally in favor of abolishing the party system all together. It's getting to the point that no party even represents my specific viewpoints anymore. Republicans are far too closed-minded and "old-school", and Democrats won't take a stance on anything for fear of alienating some special-interest voter group. It would also force people voting to actually be involved with the decision making process and check candidate's platform instead of voting a straight ballot because that's what they've always done. The problem is no candidate or existing politician will take the first step and say, "You know what? Both parties are full of crap, I'm doing what's best for the country" and get the clean-up process started. Who cares which party is majority in the House or Senate? All I see are a bunch of blockheads that can't get anything accomplished. They can overturn the Idiot In Chief's veto power if they actually wanted to.

I think most of the current turmoil is from the Internet age. We, as the American public, have evolved past the ideological, sheltered, "Duck and cover" era sheep we were in the 50s. Not to get overly conspiracy theorist, the only way the government has to manipulate the populace into completing their agenda is fear mongering, and that only works until the truth comes out, or they stretch things to the breaking point.

Ben Franklin said it best:
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety"

[Rathskellar]

I think its a shame that our world-changing rhetoric is limited to a little corner of a gaming forum. Someone start us a blog.

[Eraedan]

However, our checks and balances system would work if it wasn't super-charged politics. The Democrats right now are just pushing bills to make Republicans look bad when they veto or vote against them. They know darn well that they barely hold the majority so they can pass bills on party lines but can't muster enough votes to overturn a veto.

Yeah, that issue isn't restricted to just the US. Happens everywhere. Hell, the Conservatives here are having a field-day politically beating the shit out of the Liberals because their party is so screwed up at the moment. They were trying to taunt the Liberals into forcing an election so they (the Conservatives) could gain a majority gov't (51%+ of the seats in the House of Commons).

It's just a ridiculous and self-absorbed tug-of-war. Like watching playground antics.