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 #17 (permalink) Sat Feb 17, 2007 23:10 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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| Englishuser wrote: |
| That would depend on the context. In republics, where a president is elected to serve as head of state, the president rarely represents continuity and neutrality in the way a monarch does. If there are two parties in a country, party A and party B, and the president belongs (or belonged) to party B, then what happens to supporters of party A? |
You need to read more about how democracies work. The president is not a dictator, he's an elected servant. In the US, he is both head of state and the chief of state. In some other countries, such as the Czech Republic, the president is only the head of state, and the prime minister is the chief of state.
In the United States, he is balanced out by Congress and the Supreme Court. If the president is a Democrat, you may have a majority in Congress that's Republican, as you did under Clinton, and one cancels out the extremes of the other. Now we have a Republican president and a Democrat majority in Congress, so they have to make nice with each other a lot of the time and work out deals. Sometimes you happen to have a president and a congress both of the same party, and they can push a lot of their agenda through, but the minority parties can modify things by bringing people from the majority over to their side on one issue or another. Since all the legislators are voting as individuals, the passing of various legislation doesn't always depend on which party is in power. Beyond that, the Supreme Court can rule various laws unconstitutional, regardless of which party is in power.
Continuity and neutrality are not always good things. Too much continuity means nothing ever gets reformed, and things start to atrophe. Too much neutrality means that damaging policies are never questioned, and little can get done. During the Civil War, a lot of Democrats wanted to North to remain neutral on the issue of slavery. What a catastrophe it would have been for millions of people for years and years if everybody had remained neutral on slavery and continuity had been maintained. |
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Jamie (K)
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| #18 (permalink) Sun Feb 18, 2007 16:39 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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Hi Jamie,
| Quote: |
| Continuity and neutrality are not always good things. Too much continuity means nothing ever gets reformed, and things start to atrophe. Too much neutrality means that damaging policies are never questioned, and little can get done. |
That's true. Still, I think it's good for a nation to have a neutral Sovereign who remains Sovereign for a little longer than four or eight years. A leader such as the president of the US can hardly unite his fellow citizens when it's most crucial, such as in the event of a serious national or international crisis.
Englishuser |
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Englishuser
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| #19 (permalink) Sun Feb 18, 2007 17:00 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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| Englishuser wrote: |
| A leader such as the president of the US can hardly unite his fellow citizens when it's most crucial, such as in the event of a serious national or international crisis. |
Sorry, EU, but that statement is complete hogwash.
In addition, it is a mistake to believe that everyone in the Commonwealth is as rabidly obsessed with and fond of the British monarchy as you are. |
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Yankee
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| #20 (permalink) Sun Feb 18, 2007 17:13 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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Hi Yankee,
You said:
| Quote: |
| it is a mistake to believe that everyone in the Commonwealth is as rabidly obsessed with and fond of the British monarchy as you are. |
I would like to remind you of the fact that HM Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of many nations. She is as much Queen of Belize and Queen of New Zealand as she is Queen of the UK. In her role of Queen of Belize, Her Majesty boosts the morale of more than 300,000 Belizeans. |
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Englishuser
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| #21 (permalink) Sun Feb 18, 2007 17:24 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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| Englishuser wrote: |
Hi Yankee,
You said:
| Quote: |
| it is a mistake to believe that everyone in the Commonwealth is as rabidly obsessed with and fond of the British monarchy as you are. |
I would like to remind you of the fact that HM Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of many nations. She is as much Queen of Belize and Queen of New Zealand as she is Queen of the UK. In her role of Queen of Belize, Her Majesty boosts the morale of more than 300,000 Belizeans. |
You're just proving Amy's point. You need to know when to stop (which is a skill I myself haven't learned yet).
And I'm sure those 300,000 Belizeans are much more optimistic in their grinding poverty just knowing that they have a Great White Mother across the ocean. What a ridiculous statement, that she "boosts the morale" of those unfortunate people. |
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Jamie (K)
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| #22 (permalink) Sun Feb 18, 2007 17:32 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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Hi Englishuser,
You seem to delight in making outrageous statements with reference to the royals in the UK. I think (but I can't prove it) that people in the UK accept the monarchy to a lesser or greater extent very much depending on which member is in the news, what the situation in the country is and what that particular member has done or said. They are rather like the weather, tolerated and people frequently cuss them and love them by turn. What I want to know is the origin of your great devotion to them. Are you British? Do you have British relatives? Do reveal the source of this admiration!
Alan
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| #23 (permalink) Sun Feb 18, 2007 17:43 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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Hi Jamie,
| Quote: |
| You need to know when to stop (which is a skill I myself haven't learned yet). |
You can't expect any one to be perfect, can you?
| Quote: |
| And I'm sure those 300,000 Belizeans are much more optimistic in their grinding poverty just knowing that they have a Great White Mother across the ocean. What a ridiculous statement, that she "boosts the morale" of those unfortunate people. |
As Belize is a democracy, its people could have abolished the monarchy.
Englishuser |
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Englishuser
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| #24 (permalink) Sun Feb 18, 2007 17:47 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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Alan wrote:
| Quote: |
| You seem to delight in making outrageous statements with reference to the royals in the UK. |
| Quote: |
| What I want to know is the origin of your great devotion to them. Are you British? Do you have British relatives? Do reveal the source of this admiration! |
Could someone please tell me why nobody seems to remember that there is a Canadian Royal Family, a Tuvaluan Royal Family, and a Jamaican Royal Family consisting of more or less the same royals as the British Royal Family?
Englishuser |
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Englishuser
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| #25 (permalink) Sun Feb 18, 2007 17:50 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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Hi,
Again you're avoiding the question. You're the one banging on about the British variety. Noone else is.
A
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| #26 (permalink) Sun Feb 18, 2007 17:57 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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| Englishuser wrote: |
As Belize is a democracy, its people could have abolished the monarchy.
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Failure to abolish the monarchy can also indicate general apathy (among other things). |
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Yankee
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| #27 (permalink) Sun Feb 18, 2007 19:28 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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well hell, I'm directly descended from King Henry II, who was descended from folks like Charlemagne, Alfred the Great and William the Conqueror.
So bow down to me, Englishuser, I am your expatriate king.
hehe
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Prezbucky
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| #28 (permalink) Sun Feb 18, 2007 19:32 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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God save Wessex and Plantagenet!
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Prezbucky
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| #29 (permalink) Mon Feb 19, 2007 17:53 pm The United States as a Commonwealth member (or realm) |
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Jamie,
You said:
| Quote: |
| And I'm sure those 300,000 Belizeans are much more optimistic in their grinding poverty just knowing that they have a Great White Mother across the ocean. What a ridiculous statement, that she "boosts the morale" of those unfortunate people. |
It is not a ridiculous statement at all. His Holiness The Pope makes people happy no matter how poor they may be. The same is true for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
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