our fucking hilarious leader

[SMc55]

I'll second this. I despise his politics and think he is a dangerous, spoiled, buffoon of a public servant, but I think the last bit of that story about him not knowing the protocol for exiting a UN meeting and asking Rice for advice probably has merit.

There is a seemingly infinite amount of serious misdeeds for which he should be held accountable and deserves public scorn.  This ain't one of them and should be a non-story and should never have been exploited by Reuters.  It distracts from his real ineptitudes and foolish decisions when the public should be focused on taking him to task for the important things he screws up.

I completely agree. Well said.

While I don't envy you your leader, I do envy the fact that you have a republic.

[ratsprayer]

I completely agree. Well said.

While I don't envy you your leader, I do envy the fact that you have a republic.

elections only give the image we have a democracy here.  bush didnt win in 2000 or 2004.  i have a russian watch to sell you, if you believe that.  

[SMc55]

elections only give the image we have a democracy here.  bush didnt win in 2000 or 2004.  i have a russian watch to sell you, if you believe that.  

I don't believe it. I don't believe it at all. The system is flawed for sure. I just believe that there's something fundamentally wrong with having an hereditory head of state. I don't want to be anybody's 'subject'.

[ratsprayer]

I don't believe it. I don't believe it at all. The system is flawed for sure. I just believe that there's something fundamentally wrong with having an hereditory head of state. I don't want to be anybody's 'subject'.

i definitely agree with you there, that just seems outdated in all ways.  i believe when any government's main purpose stops being the overseeing of the well being of its citizens, its flawed.  where do you live, doctor?

[SMc55]

I live in England. I have nothing against the queen. I think she's wise and very sharp. I admire her sense of duty. She had the chance to go to Canada in the war but stayed and drove an ambulance. She was only 18. Her heir, on the other hand, is a 57 year old spoilt brat. But it doesn't matter what I think of them, the principle is that it's wrong for anybody to be anybody else's subject. I've heard Prince Charles refer to people as such on TV. It made me sick.

It's made me think about the word 'republican'. I consider myself to be one, but I certainly wouldn't be one in the US. It means something very different in Ireland, too. Interesting.

I wonder how the other Europeans feel about their monarchies, which seem to me much less pompous than ours.

[aMillionDreams]

Let's not forget that W's daddy was president too.  Though W wasn't handed the job it was a sort of birthright.  In America there are a collection of politician producing families.  It is hereditory in a sense, but not to the extent of having actual kings and queens.  That does seem a bit outdated.

And you make a good point.  In America, Republician doesn't mean that you support a Republic, I don't know what it means any more, but it certainly doesn't mean that.  Just as Democratics don't necessarily support our government as a democracy.  I'd say about 90% of our citizenry couldn't even tell you our actual form of government is due to this.  Everyone says that we are a democracy, but we are not.  In a democracy the people rule directly.  We are a representative republic that elects their leaders democratically.  Anyway, that was your American Civics lesson for the day, class.  That stuff just gets on my nerves.