Is America a True Democracy

Introduction Democracy is where the government allows all its bona fide citizens an equal opportunity in decision making. It is also about giving citizens an equal participation through representation by leaders. It is a fact that the United States was the first country in the world to have a democratic constitution.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is America a True Democracy? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This qualifies the American constitution to be the oldest in the world. The United States may appear to be democratic in all the aspects of governance. The government has even tried to extend the ‘democracy’ to other countries. Looking critically at the operations of the United States, one is left with many unanswered questions. To a greater extent, it could be concluded that the United States is not a democracy. Gerrymandering Democracy lacks when gerrymandering is allowed to take place. This h as to do with manipulation of district boundaries for elections’ purposes. It is either done to assist or hinder the residents of a district with regard to the elections (Buckler 1). In the final analysis, the equality that the constitution stands for is lost. Electoral College The Electoral College is another process that puts democracy of the United States to the test. Although it appears to be a well set process, the Electoral College denies the citizens the right to elect their leaders directly. When the citizens cast their votes in a presidential election, they give the electors in the college the voting power depending on which party has taken the lead in a particular state. This system was put in place by the founding fathers but it works against the tenets of democracy. It is not practiced anywhere else in the world since it is a dilution of democracy. Republic vs Democracy In the pledge of allegiance, the word ‘republic’ is used instead of ‘democra cy’. According to experts, the sovereignty is vested on people in a republic government. The word ‘people’ may be in singular or plural form in its use here. The same sovereignty is vested on a group of people when we talk of democracy. Here, the minority gets their will and the majority their way. This means that it’s the majority who dictate what the minority are to follow. Based on the foregoing, the pledge of allegiance negates democracy. Racism and Discrimination The United States has one of the ugliest faces of racism and discrimination in the world. For so long, the Black Americans and other minority groups have been segregated. In an apparent attempt to create self defense, these groups discriminate against the whites. The current leadership indicates aspects of discrimination. If democracy really exists, the people would look at one another as fellow countrymen without putting color first.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Foreign policy The foreign policy adopted by the United States causes a lot of confusion among its citizens and other people from outside. The government has been fighting countries whose leaders do not seem to agree with its policies. In most instances, the United States interests in such countries seem to be the driving force. The trend is an attempt to dictate to other countries the kind of leaders that should be elected. Democracy should never be about one country interfering with the internal affairs of another. Another issue that puts the democracy of the United States to question is the International Criminal Court at The Hague. United States is not a signatory to the Rome Statute and hence its citizens cannot be tried at the court for crimes against humanity. This does not mean that the countrymen are not involved in atrocities. The government has been at the front line in forcing other countries to a dhere to the court’s requirements through all means. Works Cited Buckler, Justin. â€Å"Population Equality and the Imposition of Risk on Partisan Gerrymandering.† Case Western Reserve Law Review 62.4 (2012): 1037-1055. Academic Search Premier. Web. This essay on Is America a True Democracy? was written and submitted by user Cailyn Lee to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Personal Values Statement Essays

Personal Values Statement Essays Personal Values Statement Paper Personal Values Statement Paper I had the privilege of taking an ethics class that asked me to list out what values were important to me. I thought Id share some of the things I wrote down and finish off with my personal mission statement. This essay will give you a unique insight into what values I find to be important. What is important to me? Service, integrity, and loyalty are very important to me. Service is a big part of my life and allows me to continue to hold myself to a higher moral standard. Integrity is one of the key values that pushes me to do what is right even when others are not coking. Loyalty increases the longevity of a relationship. What do I value? I value service, loyalty, integrity, accountability, courage, discipline, creativity and innovation. Creativity/limitation Being creative/innovative is thinking outside the box on many issues. Its challenging authority and figuring out why certain procedures are done the way they are. It allows me to be pro-active finding solutions to problems that need to be solved. I have been placed in many situations that have required me to think creatively to solve a problem. For example, on the battle field resources are limited and time is priority. I was placed in-charge of a crew that had to erect a guard shack in five days. Keep in mind the Marines estimated the project would take 3 weeks to complete. My crew and I pulled together some creative ingenuity and collected the resources we needed. We completed the project within three days. Creativity and innovation can ago long way and is a valuable asset to have in your box of values. Loyalty Loyalty is the devotion to commitments, others, and myself. It is the faithfulness to ones duty which may include friendship, organization, profession, religion or country. Morally strong loyalties do not undermine the loyalties of others. They are given freely and do not have expectations of receiving something in return. I exercise loyalty with family but most of all with my brothers in arms. I have had the chance to experience war and that crazy feeling of loyalty that you would do anything for the guy next to you. For example, while my team and I were in our work-up phase for manipulation we endured grueling life like battle scenarios. We were on a rooftop at night after we Just raided a building. We were under heavy simulation fire when a notional grenade flopped up on the deck of the rooftop. I noticed my corpsman tanning right next to it. Without thinking I pushed him out of the way and laid on top of it. With a team of 30 guys and only 1 corpsman out of the bunch, he was the most valuable asset. I believe I exemplified what loyalty was that night and my corpsman never forgot that moment. I had loyalty not only to him but to my entire team. If our corpsman were to get injured or end up a fatality it could be detrimental to the team. Discipline Discipline is the focused attitude of self-control that drives results. Discipline is the epitome of enduring and overcoming constant adversity that we deal with on a daily axis. In order to exercise the right discipline to be successful, we have to first accept total responsibility for ourselves and the situation. It is important to have the self- discipline to keep on track when only intermediate results are apparent. Discipline is a big thing in the military and is key to having a successful career. Every soldier, sailor, airmen, and marine is critiqued on their self-discipline every time he or she is in uniform, but it goes beyond the uniform. It carries out into business and daily life. I have exercised discipline when times of adversity have been before me. I have had he self-discipline to stay strong during times that have proven to break others. For example, I have faced multiple adverse situation while I have been in school. Now I may have not finished yet and am going on 8 years now, but I have the discipline to finish. Courage Courage is doing the right thing when everyone else is afraid to do so. It is the ability to stand up for what you believe in and not let others bring you down because you are different. Courage allows confidence to stand out. I experience courage on a regular basis. I experienced courage when I decided to stop fearing the thought of Ewing deployed and volunteered when senior personnel asked for volunteers to deploy with a different battalion. I didnt have to think hard and volunteered at the first opportunity. Courage in business is to meet the demands of our profession when adversity strikes. Without courage we have no control over our lives. Accountability Accountability is key to tracking results of ourselves and peers and the willingness to take responsibility for ones own actions. We must identify and hold ourselves accountable for the commitments we agree upon and the actions that we do. For example, I am the lead embark petty officer for my detachment. I am in-charge of tracking the troop movement from point A to B. I am accountable for each member from the time they leave their residence until the time they are gained to the appropriate command. If someone is to get lost or goes missing I am accountable for that person. Troop movement is a large ordeal within the military and it is important that we keep accountability of our troops. Service Service before self establishes my commitment to the Navy and our country. I must subordinate our personal wants and desires for the betterment of the Navy and mission. This requires personal sacrifice and a close examination of my motives. I have to ask myself, am I doing what is right for the mission and organization or am I doing what is right for me as an individual? Many times these motives may be in conflict with one another. I can only resolve these conflicts by objectively evaluating the intentions of my actions. I have to find the true assessment of my motives against the ethical and professional standards of my profession and holding myself accountable for meeting or exceeding these standards. If we are not accountable, we will fail to have the right priorities. Integrity I think this is one of the most important core values to have. Integrity it the key core value to have in any organization, relationship and/or situation. It is the quality that provides honesty and strong moral principle. In a way integrity is the glue to all core values. It is the moral compass that guides us to decipher what is right. I know with integrity that I must be true to myself before I can be true to others or an organization. I must hold myself accountable to maintain standards so I can hold my subordinates accountable. For example, I had a moment of integrity when I informed the other companys Job superintendent of why I was visiting the Job site. I had to visit a Job site due to a near miss with a forklift. My company wanted to keep it in house and quiet, but my moral compass was pointing me in the direction to tell the Job Sup the truth. I relayed the information to him in an honest fashion. Safety is very important on a Job site and it would have been morally wrong to not inform the person in-charge of the Job site of the violation. Integrity is the foundation of my core values and what keeps me grounded. What are my strengths and talents? I am a very service oriented person. I have a huge sense in pride for what I have accomplished in regards to my military career, a career that is still in an adolescent stage. I feel my experiences within my military career have helped shape my talents and strengthened them further that I thought could be achieved. Essentially the military core values have helped provide a foundation to my personal core values. My Legacy I want to be known as a good Christian man who put his service before all else. One of the reasons is to be known as a leader, and someone who loves and would die for his country. My personal core values statement I am a man focused on my faith, my family, and service to my country. I strive to lead from the front with integrity, loyalty, and service. Conclusion The values I have chosen align with the military career path I have chosen to follow. Although these values are a small glimpse of the many values needed to succeed, these are the values I find important. I have given examples of how they apply in my career and family. Many of the values listed can be found in my family and peer values. My values have helped shape me into a positive leader that leads from the front and is always first to the conflict. I will continue to shape and define these values as my career grows.