I'm sick and tired of the GOP's continuing assault on the right to representation that is absolutely fundamental to our form of government. Over and over again we see that party work to DENY representation in order to "win". This is NOT what is meant by democracy. So, here we have another case where the GOP has gone all the way to the SC in order to try to limit democracy: https://thehill.com/homenews/campai...-gop-effort-to-block-mail-ballot-extension-in The objective in a democracy HAS to be to ensure that peole are heard. The numerous efforts made to BLOCK people from being heard is a characeristic of a dictatorship. The US has a long history of working AGAINST the kinds of assault on democracy in other countries - kinds of assaults we see today in the USA. It's fine to campaign. We even let Trump lie his ass off in his campaigning. But, actual work done to make it harder for opposition votes to be counted?? That has to be OFF LIMITS. Slowing or failing mail in ballot deliveries, closing polling places in areas where those in power don't want representation, gerrymandering, threatening poll watchers, polling equipment limits so inadequate that voting in certain select places takes hours while other places is easy, etc., etc., etc. Are we a democracy or not? The question of leadership needs to be based on the judgement of the people, NOT on the ability to use the powers of government to make it hard for the opposition to be heard.
This is off topic. We know it's not an absolute right. We really have almost zero absolute rights. Guns, speech, etc., are not absolute rights, either. So, one can lose the right to vote in various ways - being a convicted traitor, for example. One can fail to comply with reasonable requirements for identification - like failing to register. BUT, that does NOT mean that our elections can legitimately be seen as a combat zone - for those in power to use the power of government to prevent those they don't like from being heard. But, using the federal mail system to slow ballot distribution, slow mail of fileed out ballots, inequitable polling equipment, location, hours - these are not legitimate. In fact, the restrictions promoted by the GOP would have caused our troops to be excluded, as they all vote by mail, and the GOP promoted requirements would have invalidated a significant percent of their ballots due to delivery time. One CAN use the power of government to affect election outcomes. And, THAT is what dictatorships do - NOT what democracies do.
We are a republic that votes for its leaders. A democracy would have people voting on policy. There is no need for leaders.
LOL!! No, we have a representative democracy. We vote for representation in our key offices, authorizing them to make decisions as per local, state and federal law. The fact that we are a Republic doesn't change that.
