Is the United States an empire?

liberty · Post by **liberty** » Wed Jul 04, 2012 2:31 pm

An empire is the opposite of a federation where the people rule by delegating power to at least two governments. An empire is the rule of a collection states or peoples by a central power.

Should the name of the country be changed to United State of America?

Should the new flag should have one star representing the federal government?

rubato · Post by **rubato** » Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:25 pm

Republicans have stopped completely having any intellectual coherence except for partisanship. They will oppose anything a Democratic president does just to be doing it. They know that their voters are too stupid to notice that they have contradicted themselves in doing so.

The Democrats deserve a better party of opposition.

http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2012/07/u ... eform.html

"...
One piece of background is all-important in assessing last Thursday's decision.

ObamaCare is RomneyCare.

The health-care reform plan that Mitt Romney proposed when he was Governor of Massachusetts, and shepherded through the Massachusetts legislature is the health-care reform plan that Barack Obama proposed and shepherded through the U.S. Congress.

RomneyCare made it through the Massachusetts legislature with only two dissenting votes. RomneyCare made it through the Congress with not a single Republican vote in favor. No Republican made audible complaint that RomneyCare was bad policy, or would destroy the economy, or would be unconstitutional at the federal level, or whatnot--not as long as it was the signature policy initiative of a Republican governor who might well become president someday.

But when the same policy became the signature policy initiative of a Democratic president, every single Republican in office changed their mind.

Some Republican officeholders claimed that they had always been opposed to RomneyCare--but had just kept quiet because of Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican".

For the most part, however, Republican officeholders claimed that they had not changed their minds. When a state government requires people to buy insurance, they said, that is Gan assertion of the Conservative Principle of Personal Responsibility. But when a federal government requires that people to buy insurance, they said, that is Bad Big Government, the Liberal Nanny State, and unconstitutional. Never mind that the centerpiece of the Bush 2005 Social Security privatization proposal was an individual mandate to regulate "inactivity": to require that people who had not established their own private individual retirement accounts do so.

Go figure.
... "

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:33 pm

Republicans have stopped completely having any intellectual coherence except for partisanship.

LOL

This from a guy who has put up posts containing partisan swipes in threads about Thanksgiving, commemorating D-Day, and even a man losing his dog....

The Democrats deserve less boneheaded party members....

liberty · Post by **liberty** » Wed Jul 04, 2012 11:12 pm

What I find troubling about the health care law is that it set a bad precedent for liberty. Now the federal government can force an individual and spend his money on what the government thinks is important. The bourocrat can order the citizen. How long before individuals are required to join a health clubs? If you don’t think this government power will be abused consider the number of innocent people in prison.

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:09 am

Ronald Regan couldn't even put his own trousers on without help.

liberty · Post by **liberty** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:12 am

Gob wrote:Ronald Regan couldn't even put his own trousers on without help.

You are going to get old too Gob.

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:20 am

I've decided not to.

liberty · Post by **liberty** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:25 am

I had the same plan, but it didn’t work out for me. I wish you more success.

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:34 am

Many thanks! It's working fine for me at present.

liberty · Post by **liberty** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 2:18 am

Gob, when the US fails below Australia on the freedom index I think I might move to Australia; I have always been fascinated by the country.

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 2:50 am

Feel free to move now, we already are;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_of_Economic_Freedom

liberty · Post by **liberty** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 3:42 am

Sorry my Gob, but I don’t accept that index. The US is ranked at number nineteen below UK at eighteen; a country where one can be arrested for criticizing someone religion or hunting deer.
Mexico is listed as federal republic; unless it has change in the last few years there is nothing federal about Mexico. All power resides in the national government.

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 3:58 am

I'm with Strop on this one....

When it comes to growing old, I'm afraid it's just not on...

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 4:54 am

liberty wrote:Sorry my Gob, but I don’t accept that index. The US is ranked at number nineteen below UK at eighteen; a country where one can be arrested for criticizing someone religion or hunting deer.
Mexico is listed as federal republic; unless it has change in the last few years there is nothing federal about Mexico. All power resides in the national government.

So whose index would you accept?

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:28 am

liberty wrote:Sorry my Gob, but I don’t accept that index. The US is ranked at number nineteen below UK at eighteen; a country where one can be arrested for criticizing someone religion or hunting deer.

If the UK ranks higher than the US in spite of that, it obviously must be because the US is less free than the UK in other components of the ranking. Duh.

Mexico is listed as federal republic; unless it has change in the last few years there is nothing federal about Mexico. All power resides in the national government.

You are plainly an idiot:

The United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos) is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities (Spanish: entidades federativas) (31 states and 1 federal district).

According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has its own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress and government. The territory of the Federal District, commonly known and referred to as Mexico City, serves as the national capital.

The states of the Mexican Federation are free, sovereign, autonomous, and independent of each other. They are free to govern themselves according to their own laws; each state has a constitution that cannot contradict the federal constitution, which covers issues of national competence. The states cannot make alliances with other states or any independent nation without the consent of the whole federation, except those of defense and security arrangements necessary to keep the border states secure in the event of an invasion. The political organization of each state is based on a separation of powers in a congressional system: legislative power is vested in a unicameral congress (the federal congress has two chambers); executive power is independent of the legislature and vested in a governor elected by universal suffrage; and judicial power is vested in a Superior Court of Justice. Since states have legal autonomy, each has its own civil and penal codes and judicial body.

In the Congress of the Union, the federative entities – the States and the Federal District – are each represented by 3 senators, 2 elected by universal suffrage on the principle of relative majority and 1 assigned to the party which obtains the largest minority. In addition, the federation makes up a constituency in which 32 senators are elected by the method of proportional representation. Federal Deputies, however, do not represent the states, but rather the citizens themselves. The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate together comprise the Congress of the Union.

link

Oh wait, let me guess, you don't care what any reputable source says, because you are an expert in the politics of every country of the world and know better,

I voted "other" because there was no option that read "liberty is a moron".

MajGenl.Meade · Post by **MajGenl.Meade** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:14 pm

Spelling again!!!! Tut tut. "The United States is an UMPIRE" - get it right

liberty · Post by **liberty** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 2:46 pm

MajGenl.Meade wrote:Spelling again!!!! Tut tut. "The United States is an UMPIRE" - get it right

I don’t agree but I believe that some would spell it as vampire.

liberty · Post by **liberty** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 3:01 pm

Gob wrote:
liberty wrote:Sorry my Gob, but I don’t accept that index. The US is ranked at number nineteen below UK at eighteen; a country where one can be arrested for criticizing someone religion or hunting deer.
Mexico is listed as federal republic; unless it has change in the last few years there is nothing federal about Mexico. All power resides in the national government.

So whose index would you accept?

Years ago, Time Magazine produced an index that assigned each country a grade. The US ranked in the high nineties and Mexico ranked as fifty.
On this present index I believe that the reason that the US ranks so low is that it considers such things as: The lack of health insurance, the availability of guns and crime. If one uses those standards the Soviet Union would have ranked as one of the freest countries in the world.

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 5:03 pm

liberty wrote:Years ago, Time Magazine produced an index that assigned each country a grade. The US ranked in the high nineties and Mexico ranked as fifty.

And in this index, the U.S. is considered a "full democracy" whereas Mexico is called a "flawed democracy". So what's your point?

On this present index I believe that the reason that the US ranks so low is that it considers such things as: The lack of health insurance, the availability of guns and crime. If one uses those standards the Soviet Union would have ranked as one of the freest countries in the world.

Did you bother to read it before making such a moronic claim? No? Here are the questions they asked. Feel free to move your lips to help you sound out the words of more than one syllable.

I Electoral process and pluralism
1. Are elections for the national legislature and head of government free? Consider whether elections are competitive in that electors are free to vote and are offered a range of choices.
2. Are elections for the national legislature and head of government fair?
3. Are municipal elections both free and fair?
4. Is there universal suffrage for all adults? Bar generally accepted exclusions (for example, non-nationals; criminals; members of armed forces in
some countries)
5. Can citizens cast their vote free of significant threats to their security from state or non-state bodies?
6. Do laws provide for broadly equal campaigning opportunities?
7. Is the process of financing political parties transparent and generally accepted?
8. Following elections, are the constitutional mechanisms for the orderly transfer of power from one government to another clear, established and accepted?
9. Are citizens free to form political parties that are independent of the government?
10. Do opposition parties have a realistic prospect of achieving government?
11. Is potential access to public office open to all citizens?
12. Are citizens free to form political and civic organisations, free of state interference and surveillance?

II Functioning of government
13. Do freely elected representatives determine government policy?
14. Is the legislature the supreme political body, with a clear supremacy over other branches of government?
15. Is there an effective system of checks and balances on the exercise of government authority?
16. Government is free of undue influence by the military or the security services
17. Foreign powers and organisations do not determine important government functions or policies
18. Special economic, religious or other powerful domestic groups do not exercise significant political power, parallel to democratic institutions?
19. Are sufficient mechanisms and institutions in place for assuring government accountability to the electorate in between elections?
20. Does the government’s authority extend over the full territory of the country?
21. Is the functioning of government open and transparent, with sufficient public access to information?
22. How pervasive is corruption?
23. Is the civil service willing and capable of implementing government policy?
24. Popular perceptions of the extent to which they have free choice and control over their lives
25. Public confidence in government
26. Public confidence in political parties

III Political participation
27. Voter participation/turn-out for national elections. (average turnout in parliamentary elections since 2000. Turnout as proportion of population of voting age).
28. Do ethnic, religious and other minorities have a reasonable degree of autonomy and voice in the political process?
29. Women in parliament - % of members of parliament who are women
30. Extent of political participation. Membership of political parties and political non-governmental organisations.
31. Citizens’ engagement with politics
32. The preparedness of population to take part in lawful demonstrations.
33. Adult literacy
34. Extent to which adult population shows an interest in and follows politics in the news.
35. The authorities make a serious effort to promote political participation.

IV Democratic political culture
36. Is there a sufficient degree of societal consensus and cohesion to underpin a stable, functioning democracy?
37. Perceptions of leadership; proportion of the population that desires a strong leader who bypasses parliament and elections.
38. Perceptions of military rule; proportion of the population that would prefer military
39. Perceptions of rule by experts or technocratic government; proportion of the population that would prefer rule by experts or technocrats.
40. Perception of democracy and public order; proportion of the population that believes that democracies are not good at maintaining public order.
41. Perception of democracy and the economic system; proportion of the population that believes that democracy benefits economic performance
42. Degree of popular support for democracy
43. There is a strong tradition of the separation of church and state

V Civil liberties
44. Is there a free electronic media?
45. Is there a free print media?
46. Is there freedom of expression and protest (bar only generally accepted restrictions such as banning advocacy of violence)?
47. Is media coverage robust? Is there open and free discussion of public issues, with a reasonable diversity of opinions?
48. Are there political restrictions on access to the Internet?
49. Are citizens free to form professional organisations and trade unions?
50. Do institutions provide citizens with the opportunity to successfully petition government to redress grievances?
51. The use of torture by the state
52. The degree to which the judiciary is independent of government influence. Consider the views of international legal and judicial watchdogs. Have the courts ever issued an important judgement against the government, or a senior government official?
53. The degree of religious tolerance and freedom of religious expression. Are all religions permitted to operate freely, or are some restricted? Is the right to worship permitted both publicly and privately? Do some religious groups feel intimidated by others, even if the law requires equality and protection?
54. The degree to which citizens are treated equally under the law. Consider whether favoured members of groups are spared prosecution under the law.
55. Do citizens enjoy basic security?
56. Extent to which private property rights protected and private business is free from undue government influence
57. Extent to which citizens enjoy personal freedoms. Consider gender equality, right to travel, choice of work and study.
58. Popular perceptions on human rights protection; proportion of the population that think that basic human rights are well-protected.
59. There is no significant discrimination on the basis of people’s race, colour or creed.
60. Extent to which the government invokes new risks and threats as an excuse for curbing civil liberties

See anything about health care in there? The availability of guns? Or how the Soviet Union could have possibly ranked high in freedom against such criteira?

And then you marvel at being labelled a moron.

liberty · Post by **liberty** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 5:42 pm

“And then you marvel at being labelled a moron.” I don’t worry about insignificant things.
No, I didn’t read it; it doesn’t affect my GPA. And why should I when know that you will do for me. And besides I wouldn’t want to deny you that pleasure.

Ok here is your chance: How could the US move to the top of the index? If you don’t care for my country enough to offer a few suggestions I can understand that after all it is not your country.

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