Read the Constitution, Bob
Now we know that Bob Hassoldt has never read the U.S. Constitution or passed an introductory level civics course.
One of the dumbest things the loonies on the right say is “The U.S. is a constitutional republic, not a democracy.” This statement proves the person uttering the words knows nothing about our republic or our democracy.
And he certainly hasn’t actually read the Constitution or maintained even the most rudimentary understanding of American civics.
These are the people who can’t name the three branches of government or pass a U.S. citizenship test to become a naturalized citizen. Yet they refer to themselves as patriots anyway.
The terms democracy and republic are not mutually exclusive. They have different meanings.
Constitutional republic refers to how our states are organized around a centralized federal government with the federal government being the highest authority as defined by our Constitution.
We practice democratic representation at all levels of all governments in the U.S., all the way down to city councils. This means that we do our best to achieve majority rule and consensus in our governmental decision-making.
This is where the “one man, one vote” idea comes from, so everybody, in theory at least, has a voice in his government at all levels.
The next time you hear someone say “The U.S. is a republic, not a democracy,” you should laugh in his face and move away as quickly as possible because there’s no way to predict what he might do or say next.
Brian Rhoades
Genesee
Wrong again, Marvin
In his July 18 letter, Marvin Dugger argues that Israel, Sweden and other countries developed by democratic socialists are not really socialist because their economies are still in private hands.
Many assume that the private ownership of land is essential to a market economy, but 93 percent of Israel is in the hands of the state or quasi-state agencies. Employing 15,000 people and producing quality jets, helicopters and missiles, Israel Aerospace Industries is government-owned.
An estimated 80,000 Israelis still live in 250 kibbutzim. These communes produce 12 percent of the nation’s exports, even though they comprise only 2 percent of the population.
The Norwegians believe that oil is so important for their economy that they allow the government to own it. The state also runs the power and aluminum plants. The largest bank, the railways and telecommunications are in public hands. About 35 percent of the companies listed on the Oslo stock exchange are government-owned. This has led some to call this “state capitalism.”
Social Democrats were originally Marxists, but in 1860 they broke with totalitarian Marxist-Leninists promoting comprehensive welfare states and established a middle between communism and unregulated capitalism.
The pandemic has revealed the dark underbelly of our capitalist economy, and President Joe Biden realizes that large outlays of public spending are needed to stimulate the economy to provide relief for workers and families in need.
Ironically, the Europeans have provided less stimulus than Biden, and the result is that their economic growth is 2 percent less than ours.
Nick Gier
Moscow
