Public education: epic fail on us gov

[jeffbess]

I'm a junior in high school and this semester I am taking a required government class. Reading through the text book, titled: America- Democracy in Action, I can really see how people come out of our education systems predisposed to embrace communism and have trivial respect for our constitution and american way of life. The book talks up democratic socialism, and always downplays the practicality of free markets. It's painful to go to that class everyday.

The most irritating and disheartening problem of this kind, however, occurred when my teacher gave us a quiz with the question, "What kind of government does the USA have?" on it. I answered that we were a republic. He counted it wrong; democracy was the only correct answer, he said.

What is this country going to be in 20 years when these kids are actually in government?

[Jeremy]

i graduated last year and to you i say


tellllllllllllllllllllll me about it

:D

or wait.... maybe this isnt something to laugh about :0

[Jeremy]

Anyway, did you try arguing it?

[lasenorita]

The United States is a constitutional republic. Hand your teacher a copy of the Constitution. Highlight Article IV, Section 4 (http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.articleiv.html):


The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government


Nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution does the word "democracy" appear. We pledge allegiance to the flag and to the Republic for which it stands. There's a Battle Hymn of the Republic, not a Battle Hymn of the Democracy. According to this summary (http://www.1215.org/lawnotes/lawnotes/repvsdem.htm):


A republic and a democracy are identical in every aspect except one. In a republic the sovereignty is in each individual person. In a democracy the sovereignty is in the group.


Good reads also include Constitutional Republic vs Democracy (http://www.dailypaul.com/node/1958), and Republic vs Democracy (http://www.proconstitution.com/republic/). Why not volunteer to do a brief class report on it and help educate your classmates (and teacher)? :)

[Carole]

You should correct your teacher. :D We are a republic. Greece was a democracy. It fell. :D

Democracy is mob rule.

[Conza88]

The United States is a constitutional republic. Hand your teacher a copy of the Constitution. Highlight Article IV, Section 4 (http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.articleiv.html):


The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government


Nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution does the word "democracy" appear. We pledge allegiance to the flag and to the Republic for which it stands. There's a Battle Hymn of the Republic, not a Battle Hymn of the Democracy. According to this summary (http://www.1215.org/lawnotes/lawnotes/repvsdem.htm):


A republic and a democracy are identical in every aspect except one. In a republic the sovereignty is in each individual person. In a democracy the sovereignty is in the group.


Good reads also include Constitutional Republic vs Democracy (http://www.dailypaul.com/node/1958), and Republic vs Democracy (http://www.proconstitution.com/republic/). Why not volunteer to do a brief class report on it and help educate your classmates (and teacher)? :)

Oh hell yeah... :D

Could also link / print out the CIA world factbook's description of US government (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html#Govt)... :p They got something right? :confused: