The Theory of Democracy - Essay Example

INTRODUCTION Democracy, its many meanings Democracy means in different essence to many different peoples. To some democracy means reaching the age of eighteen years old. This is the time when children are accepted to the adult category in the American Society. At 18, the new adults can now do whatever they want to do. Now they can leave home and be independent. These new independents may apply for a job and do what they had long wanted to do and buy what they had wanted to buy because their parents forbade them not to do or buy before. Democracy can also be defined as the right to vote in any organization. The entire organization will then implement the alternative choice that has the most number of votes. This is the normal situation in a corporation or partnership. This is also further exemplified by the yearly high school class election of officers. Democracy, in general, means that the government is run by people elected by the people within its territorial jurisdiction. Therefore, indirectly, the people control the government. The present day democracy has the three pillars of democracy. The three pillars are Initiative, Referendum and Recall where the government leaders go directly to the people to ask their opinions and approval of some national issues. Democracy comes from the Greek word meaning "rule by the people". Democracy has been accepted as the origin of democracy because it started when they right of democracy to a few minority of the adult inhabitants in the city. The three famous Greek philosophers, Plato, Aristotle & Thucidides, depicted democracy as the government of the ignorant or government of the poor. In the Federalist, James Madison assumed that democracy involved direct rule by the people and stated "democracies have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths (Hamilton et al., 1908) Democracy then was concentrated on the male voting population. Women were not allowed to vote. Democracy is often used to indicate degree of social equality. Social democracy is used that advocates social economic policies. There will always be people from all parts of the globe favoring the democratic form of government. Democracy has its advantages but it also has its disadvantages. On the other hand, there are countries where the people believe that their form of government is far superior in the democratic form of government. According to Sartori, Modern man wants a different kind of democracy (Santori, 1987) The Communist party of the Soviet Union has recently changed its stand on democracy. From its former stand of saying that democracies are a kind of sham where the workers are told that they could improve their economic position in life through the election ballot. Its new stand is that The Soviet Union, in its 1936 constitution, described itself as DEMOCRATIC institution. The regular election of the people's government representative is done in order to the elected officials to wake up to the reality that they owe their position to the people electing them. Henceforth, these people's representatives must do everything in their power to voice out and accomplish what their constituents want accomplished within the time period that they are in. The Americans formerly called democracy as REPUBLICAN form of government. But if democracy is the right for the people to vote either directly thru plebiscite.., or indirectly through electing their government representatives, is it still democracy when only a small sector of the entire population is allowed to vote or elect their representatives This is very evident in the African countries where the small population of whites is governing a largely black and colored population. Well, the answer depends on who is answering the question. For an white person, this is a democratic process but to a black and colored person, there is no democracy because they have no right to question current government policies or recommend new policies that will be beneficial to the majority (in this case the black and colored) population. The blacks will feel that they are not independent or democratic for they have to unwillingly obey the dictates of the few whites governing them. According to Jefferson, the politicians and public officials must be kept under the watchful eyes of their constituents to lessen, if they cannot eliminate, graft and corruption and even plunder and government waste. Majorities and minorities Madison stated that the size and diversity of proposed federation would safeguard the minorities' rights by making a majority group to be formed. Hamilton stated that "In the Federalist no. 51, Hamilton disagreed by saying that the entire society will be divided into many parts, interests and classes of citizens in the federal states of the USA so that the rights of individuals or minorities will be in little danger from interested combination of the majority"(Hamilton et al., 1901). The main purpose of the segregation is to give the minority population of the American population a bigger chance of voicing their sentiments about government policies. (Hamilton et al, 1901) Another version of independence or democracy is the separation of powers between the President of the United States and the Legislature. Most of the Presidents, recommended law initiatives are being presented to the legislature for approval. All laws analyzed and approved by majority vote in the legislature have to be approved or vetoed by the United States President. There is now a check and balance between the two departments to avoid abuse of power, lessen and eliminate graft and corruption A person must not violate the rights of other people, regardless of race, religion, gender and the like in the pursuit of one's right to exercise the freedom or liberty or democracy to do what is enshrined in the United States Constitution. A person has the right to own a car but if such person cannot pay for the car, the car salesperson has the right not to give the car. 2. Now that we know the definitions of democracy we will divide issue into the: 2.1 Democracy Concept in general 2.1.1 Advantages of democracy One remarkable advantage of democracy is that the people can elect Their Representatives to the Legislature. They can also choose their leaders. The President and Vice President will take the reigns of the government for a short period of time (four years). Another advantage is that when people we campaigned for in office win, the President will be persuaded and influenced by his vote campaigners to put themselves and other relatives in the government service. The businessmen helped finance the election of the members of houses of Congress and Upper House (Senate) as well as the President and Vice president may ask the election winners to award them juicy government contracts outright or in the near future as payback. A third advantage is that the people can vote directly in plebiscites and Referenda such as change in the form of government from Presidential to parliamentary form. A recent case is the recall election to Remove a California mayor. This occurred in 2003 when the people of people voted to unseat the Democratic Mayor Gray Davis with the Terminator star, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some people feel that this is the very essence of democracy. Another democracy example is the infamous Watergate Scandal which occurred from 1972 to 1974. President Richard Nixon resigned voluntarily than wait to be impeached by the people. President Richard Nixon had the democratic will to order his loyal friends to stop eavesdropping on the plans of their opponent party's plans, but he did not. He could have his own reason for not doing so either pressure from outside or just for the fun of it. Another advantage of democracy is that the people can exercise their freedom to speak on many topics and delicate government issues. They can have the freedom to organize. Groups or political parties will have a bigger voice that will reach the lower house and the senate as well as the president's quarter. Furthermore, in a democracy, a person can reach his or her dreams in them way or method that he or she feels comfortable with. A person can follow his or her dreams in a democracy. That person can work hard for the sweet accomplishment his or her lifelong goal. A person can be a doctor, a nurse, an actor or actress, a United States senator, an engineer, or just to stay by the sidelines as others pursue their dreams. A delicate issue is death. Can a person exercise his democratic right to die in order to stop the suffering from an incurable disease or if the husband asked the courts to pull the life support on his wife now on a vegetable state. The court decided to allow the unplugging of the life support in this recent controversial United States Case. 2.1.2 Disadvantages of democracy One disadvantage of democracy is that according to the three famous Philosophers, Plato Aristotle and Thucidides, democracy is the government Elected by the ignorant people or elected government of the poor people. This means that the people who are ignorant will choose people in their ignorant opinion will help them have a better life. The poor people will also elect people to run the government with a heart to alleviate or improve the life of the poor. Some ignorant and poor voters could have wrongly miscalculated their decision, in a democracy, because some elected officials forget the people's recommendations when they start work and plans which they said was their hidden agenda during the election period. Another clear disadvantage of democracy is that the people will be partly blamed for the wrongdoings or misdeeds of their favorite election winners. Had the voters chosen a better candidate, their chosen election winners would not have entered in some shady deals like giving government contracts to people who gave funds and campaigned for them as a payback. People usually chose their legislature representatives based on political party affiliation, candidate appeal and issues listed the order of importance. (Peltason et al, 2000) Another disadvantage of democracy is that due to the constant change of leadership some beneficial projects that were approved by the prior congress may not be implemented because the new election winner is a Democrat who has replaced a Republic. Another disadvantage of democracy is that the majority vote may not be The right vote but since the democratic rule clearly states that the majority Vote is what more people want. A very good example is the recent attack and capture of Saddam Hussein. George Bush refused to obey the United Nations majority decision Asking President Bush to stop his plans to invade Irag because he has no concrete evidence that chemical weapons exists. Many people paraded in major cities to voice their request for President Bush not to endanger the lives of American soldiers and even not to meddle with the internal affairs of Iraq. The people who elected him has to go sleepless nights thinking that they had a hand in the unauthorized invasion of Iraq for electing him into office. Another disadvantage of democracy is that only the rich Or children and relatives of rich persons have a chance of winning Election seats in the many election districts of the USA. That means that There are many more qualified candidates who could run for public office But since the cost of campaigning, paying watchers to see to it that the Candidates actual votes are counted well and other election expenses. Another disadvantage of democracy is that the population has to be Smaller than the present situation so that the people can directly vote for government issues (Rousseau, 1913). At present the population of the United States vote for their representatives to congress and the senate as well as the president, vice president, mayors, governors and other local and national government positions. Another disadvantage of democracy (Portielli, 2004) is when a person decides to Exercise his democratic freedom to destroy another's property because he despises his classmate's winning the love of another classmate. Jealousy is one of the many reasons why persons do criminal acts. Another democracy (Fabbrini, 2004) situation is when a person feels that he has the right (or wrong) to kill the President. This is what happened in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy. If they say that religion is the opium of the people, then democracy is what to the people Another biblical example of democracy is the story of Adam and Eve. They were told to eat anything in the Garden of Eden. They were not permitted to eat the fruit of the tree of life. But they chose to exercise their democratic freedom to eat the forbidden fruit. As a result, they were punished by being expelled from the happy life of Eden. In our present society, individuals are allowed to exercise their democratic freedom to do what they want to do but they must not violate the law of the land or infringe on the rights of others that they get in contact with. 2.2 Democracy Democracy 2.2.1 Advantages of other forms of organization One advantage of the king or dictatorship method of government is that the experience is the best teacher. This means that the king or the dictator has many years of actual on the job experience making him or her expert on such political fields. The programs that will improve the lives of citizens will be continued by present king, queen, dictator and the like. Another advantage of procedural democracy is that the Courts of Justice must bang the justice hammer to declare the innocent defendants innocent and they must convict the guilty party. Attempting to influence the judges' upcoming decisions through corruption must be eliminated. (Jacobs, 1997) The courts of justice must also assume that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The defendant cannot be forced to admit commission of a crime as exemplified by the Miranda case. Another advantage of other forms of government is that in a dictatorship, the lazy people will not be given their democratic right to sleep in the town square just to get drunk and create trouble with the peaceful passersby. In a dictatorship, less talk and more work is emphasized. There is a saying in the military that goes, obey your orders from superior officers first before complaining. The freedom to think and question and object to the military officers' orders is eliminated. A very classic example is the ant population. There is complete order and harmony if you will observe a group of ants. Democracy (Peceny, 1999) is not in their vocabulary but they are able to accomplish their specific roles or job specifications in life. Some ants are born to be soldiers as characterized by their bigger head and mandibles. Some ants are born to feed the queen until they die. Some ants are born to look for food for the rest of their lives. The queen ant has the only job of making baby ants. There is no democracy (Stromberg, 1996) here but ants have survived for many years using such a non democratic way to survive. There are countries where democracy (Burns, 2000) spoken about but the people have lived happy lives under an able leader. 2.2.2 The Disadvantages of other forms of organizations The disadvantage of the king or dictatorship method of government is that there is no freedom to choose their new leaders. The monarch or dictator may not be replaced by people through election or plebiscite or referenda. Another disadvantage is that the other forms of government call Themselves democratic when if fact they have only small shades of democracy in them (Holden, 1993) Another disadvantage of other forms of government is that they Admit that they are not democratic fully but on the way to the democratic way when in reality their interpretation of democratic way is different. (Dahl, 1989) Another disadvantage of other systems of government is that the population may fear to voice out their dislike for the present government policies. We can we find small town meetings where majority decisions are made for the community if democracy abounds. It is mostly in Democracy that the people are involved in justice. The government, which is democratic, is always making measures and projects that will be beneficial to a majority of its constituents. Constituents comprise the total voting and non-voting population of the community. It is mostly in democracy that the government prioritizes the needs of the people. It sees to it that its many projects will be for the greater good of as many people as possible. 2.3 Majorities and Minorities 2.3.1 Advantages of Democracy to Majorities and Minorities One of the advantages for majorities is that the population or group will implement the action or reaction that has the most number of votes. The issue then is not what the right decision is or what the correct choice is. The majority votes are the issue here. In the United States the minorities are grouped together so they can have a voice in the legislature. Another advantage is that there is fairness in the decision making because all the members within the population are given their say as to what decisions will be made and who will represent them in the Legislature. (Nelson, 1980) Also, another advantage of minority group is that they could be grouped under one minority population and given a single or more group vote. Furthermore, another advantage of democracy here is that you are free to do anything you want as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others in liberty. 2.3.2 Disadvantages of Democracy to Majorities and Minorities One major disadvantage is that the minority group may be outnumbered when they are grouped with the majority voting population. To remedy this situation, the theory of social choice was invented. This occurs when a minority group is given a seat in the legislature so that the voice of the few can be heard and analyzed. (Riker, 1982) One disadvantage of democracy is the presence of attempts to corrupt the internal review service according to Harry Hopkins. Another disadvantage of the democracy of majority rule is that that majority will become tyrants, and they will implement their rules by voting out the minority, according to Madison. This only shows that the majority will often win the votes but it does Not mean that the majority are right. This is what is called the Populist theory. Therefore the Social Choice Theory, as opposed to Democracy theory,(Hart, 2000) is very concerned with the explaining the principles where affairs are based on individual differences. (Christiano, 1995) The main issue in social choice theories since the majority votes will always win over the Minority. Therefore another method had to be devised to give the minority bigger chance to be heard. This is the social change theory because this will help in the manipulation of results that will bring the minority's voice to the decision arena for deliberation and approval. 2.3 Economic Globalisation : A threat to Democracy 2.3.1 Advantages of Economic Globalisation . One advantage is that when there is freedom to buy and sell as well as The freedom to sell at a high price and to buy at a low price, then the Economic and business climate will be very good. This is what is taught in economics fundamentals class. Democracy (Booth, 1989) is a very important factor for the success of economic Globalisation. Democracy appears where the people are free to buy and sell what they want in a open market. One advantage is that since the company has opened its doors to a labor and capital pact of productivity where each sector will do it's share to accomplish company goals. Another advantage of Democracy in economic Globalisation is that the company is free to buy and sell its products and services to European, Japanese, South American and other Asian countries. Citizenship in our present day economic outlook is not confined to legal and political processes. The opening up of the world economy will benefit some countries like the United States and United Kingdom, it will not bring benefits to the all countries. The economic disparity between the third world countries and the highly industrialized nations will be decreased (New lands, 2002). He also stated that debt relief given to hard pressed and poor countries will go a long way to alleviate that country's economic situation. The United States usually gives aid to third world countries to help them bounce back economically. But it, in reality, does only so much to improve the economic performance of the recipient country. It is just like giving a beggar a fish to eat,. You will feed the beggar for one day but if you teach the beggar how to fish, he can feed himself for the rest of his life. This is the better alternative. 2.3.2 Disadvantages of Economic Globalisation. One disadvantage of the democracy of Economic Globalizations is that the value of the US dollar fluctuates up and down daily in relation to other foreign currencies like the Mexican peso and the Euro Dollar. The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the United States Treasury and other currencies have literally broken down the territorial lines between countries. Another disadvantage is that there will now be a borderless Society where low priced foreign goods can enter the United States and it is stated that twenty percent of the total world population owns eighty percent of the world's resources. Therefore, the purpose of going into business globally is to increase the sales and the country's economic standing. Cultural Globalization, Identity groups, Democratic Politics 2.3.1 Advantages of Democracy in cultural globalization One of the advantages of democracy in cultural globalization, is that countries with an average per capita income of US $1 per day will be able to increase its per capita income if it engages in business with foreign countries that earn dollars. (Stiglitz, 2003) With democracy, a person can have the power to do what he or she wants when both working in private business and in public service. Stiglitz says a strengthened democracy will give us a stronger economy. Another advantage is that minorities have the liberty to choose their own path or destination for minority rights are the same as individual rights. Modern day economics requires that the population should be mobile, educated, and literate. The citizens should have a strong common identity or common membership. They should have a common language or history. This is best illustrated when you will observe a group of immigrants. They always bring with them their history and their language. People of the same culture or race will flock together in one small community. Therefore, the state must protect the liberal values, customs and traditions, history and language of the minority groups but such government actions shall not be done at a very high cost. (Kymlicka, 1995) Democracy allows for the establishment of a political structure that caters to the needs of many cultural minorities in American Society. The government must try to unite the different minority groups by nurturing the different diversities and learning to live, communicate and understand the other minority groups to in the community while preserving their unique identity. (Parekh, 2000) 2.3.2 Disadvantages of Democracy in cultural globalization. One of the disadvantages of helping the minority culture retain and nurture their own customs and traditions, language and history, as well as their mingling mostly with their kind may run contrary to the general rule that all men should be treated equally. This pampering of the minority groups could be construed as favoritism for a small group to the detriment of dividing our society into a combination of separate groups. This is the reason the United States is divided into fifty two states. Each State of the United States has its own courts and supreme court. There is also a Federal Court. If all the religious groups will be given holidays which cover the entire United States, then there would be an increase in the days where people who are not members of a religious group will be idle. This will result to less production. Less production results to less sales, less sales results to less income, less income means there will be lesser opportunity for the company to give salary increases or to segregate funds for expansion of their business to other uncharted countries or territories. Conclusion: Democracy has been gain ground in many former non democratic countries. This is because the government leaders as well as the people population themselves have tried and found out that the best way to improve their economy is not to FORCE the people to work against their will or intellect. A man who is weak in math can not be forced to study engineering. A person who is a womanizer can not be forced to be a Catholic priest or a Buddhist monk. A man who is lazy by nature should not be given the right to choose his destiny. Such a lazy person should be controlled by the state and forced to work for a living. Democracy is governed by the majority. Therefore, it is difficult for the minority groups to have their voices heard. A remedy is to have one legislative seat for each minority group. The minority group can now be heard. Globalisation has resulted to a world economy where there are no borders between countries. The big advantage here is for the third world countries with low daily per capita income to have an increase in their take home pay because the US companies can now outsource their factories to countries in the Chine, Japan, India and the like. Another way is for the third world countries to look at Globalisation is that due to the borderless economy, the cheaper US goods will now compete with the third world countries' local industries. The people will be happy for these cheaper but high quality goods. It is therefore finally concluded that Democracy is the best form of government because it brings out the best in every citizen. Finally, Democracy is the rule of the people. It is rule by the people and the rule for the people. The people elected as people to make laws in the house representatives. The people also chose the president of the United States as well as his vice president. Democracy is a very popular political system where binding and legal decisions that will hold the entire country accountable is collectively made based on majority rule. Democracy is a popular political system where every citizen is given the right to run for an elective post like senator, president, vice president and others. Democracy is a social arrangement in which freedom of speech, freedom of the citizens to organize as political parties that does not violate any laws and the right to participate in any political decision is guaranteed by law or constitution. BIBLIOGRAPHY Peltason et al, Government by the People, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2000. Santori, G., The Theory of Democracy Revisited, New Jersey, 1987 Holden, B, Understanding Liberal Democracy, New Jersey, 1987 Dahl, R, Democracy and its critics, London, 1989 Jacobs, L., An introduction to Modern Political Philosophy: The Democratic Vision Of Politics, New Jersey, 1997 Nelson, W., On Justifying Democracy, London, 1980 Riker, W, Liberalism against Populism, A confrontation between Democracy and Social Change, San Francisco, 1982 Christiano, T., Social Choice and Democracy, D. Copp, J Hampton & J E Roemer, the Idea of Democracy, Cambridge, 1995 Alvater, E, The democratic order, economic globalization, and ecological restrictions, Democrat's Edge, Cambridge, USA, 1999 Newlands, D., Economic Globalisation and Global Citizenship. Dower & Williams, Global Citizenship, A Critical Reader., Edinburgh, Edinburgh Press, 2002 Stiglitz J, Globalization and Development. Held and Koenig - Archibugi, Taming Globalization. Frontiers of Governance. Cambridge, Polity, 2003 Pogge, T., Achieving Democracy, World Poverty and Human Rights, Cambridge, Polite Press, 2002 Kymlicka, W., Multicultural Citizenship, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995 Parekh, B., Rethinking Multiculturalism. Cultural Diversity and Political Theory, Library, 2000 Fabbrini, S., Democracy and Federalism in the European Union and the United States: Exploring Post-National Governance, Routledge, New York. Publication, 2004. Portielli, A., The Text and the Voice: Writing, Speaking, and Democracy in American Literature, Columbia University Press, New York, 1994. Peceny, M., Democracy at the Point of Bayonets, Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park, PA, 1999 Stromberg, R., A Short, Analytical History, M. E. Sharpe, Armonk, NY., 1996 Wolf, C., Promoting Democracy and Free Markets in Eastern Europe, ICS Press, San Francisco, 1992 Burns et al., Government of the People, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2000 Hart, R., Campaign Talk: Why Elections Are Good for Us, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ., 2000 Booth, J., Elections and Democracy in Central America. Volume: 8, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC., 1989. Read More