VOTER POWER

US Democracy

Myth: The US isn’t a Democracy, it’s a republic.
Fact: We are a Constitutional Republic AND a Democracy. That’s because a republic is a form of Democracy.

The founding fathers believed in a democratically elected government, but they didn’t support a purely Rousseauian-style democracy. So, they devised a system where representatives are democratically elected by the populace to serve at the pleasure of the citizenry.

The existence of voting representatives gives us the “republic” part of our government. But we also have the Senate to balance out power between states–that is, to keep larger states from overpowering smaller states–and the House of Representatives to accurately represent the citizenry of states based on population.

The beauty of the American system can be found in its effort to combine democratic ideals with a classical republic to develop a practical democratic system. In fact, it’s this republicanism that makes democracy work in America.

Fascism vs. Communism

Fascism vs. Communism

Q: So, can we agree there isn't one bit of difference between Fascism and Communism?   A: No, we can't agree on that. Fascism and Communism are both authoritarian forms of government, but all similarities stop there. The main impulse of Fascism is...

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What Are Limits of the Presidential Pardon?

What Are Limits of the Presidential Pardon?

Since President Trump’s impeachment acquittal in the Senate a few weeks ago, he’s become quite fond of putting his thumb on the scales of justice.  Today, during his press conference at Andrews Airforce base, the president said of some recent court cases,...

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The Debate Over American Fascism

The Debate Over American Fascism

When freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently described privately run ICE detention centers as “concentration camps,” it ignited a debate over the use of related words like “fascism” and “genocide” to describe the polices and actions being...

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AI and the Future of Democracy

AI and the Future of Democracy

Last week, AI LA held a symposium called “AI, Ethics, and Fairness.” The panel discussion took place at the Phase Two co-working space in Culver City, California and its members included a computer scientist, a technology ethicist, a legal expert in AI and an AI...

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