democracy vs federalism

www.thelogicdictates.jimdo.com

THELOGICDICTATES

DEMOCRACYvs.FEDERALISMPublished:October24,2016

Democracyandfederalismaretwotypesofgovernancewhereintheleadersofthegovernmenthavedifferentpowersandfunctions.Thesearetwodifferentformsofgovernment,differentstructures,differentwayofgoverningthepeople.Whatarethedifferencesbetweenthesetwoformsofgovernment?Whatarethedisadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthesetwoformsofgovernment?Whichisbetter?Whichismorebeneficialandmoreopentothepeople?Whichisthebestinupliftingthelivesofthepeopleespeciallythosewhoareunknowntothesociety,tothosewhoareburdenofthecountry?Whichofthesetwogivesmoreopportunitytopeople,opportunitytogetthelivesbetter,opportunitytohavejpbs,towork,opportunitytoparticipateinthegovernment,andopportunitytorisefromthedarkangfithinesswayofliving?Therearelotsofquestionsthatneedsananswer.Questionsthatmayhelptomakeoursocietya


betterplaceforliving.Thesewillalsohelpthepeopletodecidewhichisbetteroptionforthegovernmenttotakeinto.Whichiswhich?

Democracy.Democracyhasnodefinitemeaning,itisabroadtermandsometimesthedefinitionsareambigious.Itisconfusing.Butwejaveherethedifferentmeaningoftheword.

OneofthefamousdefinitionthatIalwaysheardfrompeople,itisforthepeople,bythepeople,andofthepeople.Thesethreemainphrasesusuallyconstituestheword"democracy."Accordingtothatdefinition,"forthepeople"meansthatdemocracyisintendedforthepeopletobenefitsthem,itisnotintendedtomakethegovernmentofficialswealthyandricherandricherbutthemainpurposeofdemocracyistoupliftthelivesofthepeople.Itisintendedtobenefitsthepeoplenotthecentralgovernmentnorthegovernmentofficials.Thenextphraseis"bythepeople",itmeansthatdemocracyisauthoredbythepeoplenotthegovernment,thegovernmentshouldruninawaythatthepeoplewantittobe.Itshouldnotrunforitsownself,thepeopleshouldbetheonewhowilldecidewhatshouldbetheway.Thegovernmentofficialsshouldnotdecidebytheirownfreewillbutthewillofthepeopleshpuldbeheardandbefollowed.Thenthelastphrase"ofthepeople"meansthatdemocracyisofthewillofthepeoplenotintheofficialsinthepositionbutthewillofthepeopleshouldstandout.Italsomeansthatdemocracyisinfavortothepeoplegovernednottheleadersintheposition.

Accordingtomyresearchandfindingsoftheoriginoftheword,whenwelookdowntotheoriginoftheword"democracy",itcamefromthecapitalcityofGreecewhichiscalledAthens.DemocracycomesfromtheGreekwords"demos"whichmeanspeopleand"kratia"meansrule.TheAthenianscoinedthewordwhichrefersto"self-ruleandapricetheychosetopaytoprotecttheirfreedomaswellasanexpressionofthatfreedominitself."

Lookingdowntothehistoryandoriginoftheword"democracy"andwhytheAtheniansusedthatword,accordingtoGrolierEncyclopediaofKnowledge,itsays,thefirstdemocraticformsofgovernmentdevelopedwasinGreekcitystatesduringthe6thcenturyBC.InAthens,allcitizensparticipatedfullyingovernment;minors,women,slaves,andforeigners,however,perhaps90percentofthepopulationwerenotcitizens.

Today,mostofthestateshavecalledthemselvesdemocratic.Manysuchgovernments,however,ruleinthenameofthepeoplewithoutallowingpopularparticipation.

Itseemsthatthetruemeaningofdemocracyhaslongbeenforgottenbythepeople,ormadeunknownuntothem.Democracywasneverbeenfeltforthepastcentury.Itturnsout,itseemstobeawayforcommunistpeopletohidetheirownidentities.

Therefore,onemeaningoftheword"democracy"isthegivendefinitionabove,itisforthepeople,bythepeople,andofthepeople.Itisthetrueessenceoftheworddemocracy,thetruenatureofdemocracy.


Now,thesecondone,somesaysitreferstofreedom.Freedomalsoliesinademocraticgovernment.Thestateofbeingfreeisthemainfeatureofdemocracy.Thisisthethingthatmadeunknowntopeople.Itistheforntpageofdemocracythatiswhypeoplearemoreattractivetoitbecauseofthefreedomthatthegovernmentaregivingtothem,butlittledidthepeopleknowthatthisfreedomhasalsoitsownlimitations.

Iffreedomisthemostprominentthingthatdemocracyoffers,thentherewillbenotyrannyatallhappeninginthosecountrieswhichclaimedtobedemocratic.

Accordingtothequotationbelow,

"Nooneisfreewhenothersareoppressed."-Anonymous

Rememberthatdemocracyisthestateofbeingfree,butwhatthepeopledidn'tknowwhatkindoffreedomisthatdemocracywastellingthemabout?Andwhatdoestheword"freedom"reallymeans?

AccordingtoMeriam-Webster'sLearner'sDictionary,itisdefinedas,

free·dom\̍frɭ-dəm\noun1:thequalityorstateofbeingfree:asa:theabsenceofnecessity,coercion,orconstraintinchoiceoractionb:liberationfromslaveryorrestraintorfromthepowerofanother:independencec:thequalityorstateofbeingexemptorreleasedusuallyfromsomethingonerous<freedomfromcare>d:ease,facility<spokethelanguagewithfreedom>e:thequalityofbeingfrank,open,oroutspoken<answeredwithfreedom>f:improperfamiliarityg:boldnessofconceptionorexecutionh:unrestricteduse<gavehimthefreedomoftheirhome>2a:apoliticalrightb:franchise,privilege

Synonyms:autonomy,independence,independency,liberty,self-determination,self-governance,self-government,sovereignty

Ifyouwouldstudythetruemeaningoftheword,ititsverylogicalsense,freedomtrulyreferstodemocracy.Accordingtoitssynonymouswords,thewordsself-governance,self-government,andsovereigntydirectlyreferstodemocracyandfreedom.ThesewordsagreedwiththeoriginaldefinitioncamefromtheAthenians.

Butaccordingtothepreviousquotation,


"Nooneisfreewhenothersareoppressed."-Anonymous

Isdemocracyreallyfeltinmostcountrieswhichconsideredthemselvesasdemocratic?

Thetrueessenceofdemocracyisnopeopleareoppressed.Everyonehastherighttoenjoytheirfreedom---freefromoppressors.

Isthisreallyobserveinmostcountrieswhichcalledthemselvesdemocratic?

Thinkaboutit,however,thisalsoprovesthatdemocracyisthestateofbeingfree.

Theironyisthattheyclaimtobedemocraticbutmadelawsagainsttheirfreedom.

"Menfightforfreedom,thentheybegintoaccumulatelawstotakeitawayfromthemselves."-Anonymous

Thequotationiscorrectandevidentamongthesedemocraticcountries.Thisonlymeansthatbeingdemocraticisreallyaconfusing.Whenwereallyunderstandtheword,itseemslikeitisnotevidentinanycountryintheworld.Democracywasnotbeenfelteveninthepastcenturies,wedonotreallyexperiencedrealdemocracyinthecountryinthepastcenturies.Weonlyexperiencedalittleofit,justapartofit.Whatcnyousayaboutit?

Theveryinterestingthinginstudyingthisisthat,mostofthecountriesclaimedtobedemocraticandonlyelevennationsexerciseafederalismtypeofgovernment.Whydidthese11nationschosetobeafederalistratherthanademocraticone?Thisquestiontriggersourmind.Whyisitthatthereareonlymoreorless11countrieschosetobeafederalistratherthanademocraticoutof190countriesallinall?TheseareGermany,Mexico,Brazil,Argentina,Canada,Australia,India,theUnitedStates,Austria,Malaysia,andSwitzerland.Theydonothavethesamefederalsystem.Mostnationsintheworldtodayhaveunitarysystems,whereinalmostallpowerresidesinthecentralgovernment.

Now,whatisfederalismformofgovernment?

Federalismisaformofgovernmentwhichhasasystemofsharedpowerbetweentwoormoregovernmentswithauthorityoverthesamepeopleandgeographicalarea.Thereisadivisionofpowersbetweenthenationalgovernmentandtheregionalgovernments.

Afederalgovernmentdividesthecountryintofederalstates.Thesefederalstateshavethepowertoactindependentlyonpoliciesofregionalconcern.Thisincludestaxation,issuanceoflicenses,healthandeducationalprograms,economicdevelopmentplans,infrastructureprograms,etc.Theycanimplementprogramsthatwillsurelybenefit


them.Eachstatehasitsownimplementingrulesandregulations.Theycandecideontheirown.Whilethenationalgovernment,foritspart,remainsresponsibleforsuchmattersasnationaldefenseandforeignpolicy,amongothercountry-wideconcerns.

TheverybestexampleofafederalgovernmentistheUnitedStates.FederalismhasexistedeversincetheAmericangovernmenthadjustbeganandworkedforover200yearsintheirsociety.Thereisacontinuousdevelopmentintheircountrythroughthisfederalismformofgovernance.

TheUnitedStatesiscomposedof50states.Eachstateissubdividedintocounties(provincesforthePhilippines)andeachcountyisalsosubdividedintocities.Eachcountyhasitsownpowerthesameasthecentralornationalgovernment.Theycanimplementlawsandprogramsthatisbestsuitableintheirregionorstate.EachstatehasitsowncongressandsupremecourtandinthenationalcongresstherewerethreesenatorsthatwillserveasrepresentativesforeachstateandithasalsoitsownSupremeCourtthatissuperiortoallsupremecourtsofthe50statesofAmerica.Evenifeachstatehasitsownlawsandpolicies,hasitsowncongressandsupremecourt,but,duringconflictsituations,thenationalgovernment,thenationalcongressandthenationalsupremecourtaresuperiorfromallofthestates.

Observetheeconomicdevelopmentofthecountrieswhichhasafederalistformofgovernment,especiallytheUnitedStates,itgrowandstillgrowsasthedaypassed.ThatiswhyUnitedStatesisoneoftherichestcountryintheworld.

Observethestateintermsoftheireconomytheothertencountrieswhichpracticefederalism.TheseareGermany,Mexico,Brazil,Argentina,Canada,Australia,India,theUnitedStates,Austria,Malaysia,andSwitzerland.Theyaremorerichercountriescomparedtodemocraticcountries.

But,thereisnoperfectformofgovernmentinthisworld,ineveryformofgovernment,evenhowgooditis,thereisstillaroomforimprovementbecausethereisalwaysaloopholeineveryformofgovernment.

Since,thereisnoperfecttypeofgovernment,atleastweshouldchoosethebestformofgovernmentwhichwillsuitinthecountry.

Comparingthetwoformsofgovernment,federalismanddemocracy,whichisabetterformofgovernment?Basedfromthwgivendefinitions,whichisbetterandwillsuitinthecountry?

Whatisyourbet?

WaitforournextblogtoknowmoreaboutfederalismandwhetherfederalismbestsuittothePhilippinesornot.


References:

MerriamWebster'sDictionary

LivioEnglishDictionary

Grolier'sEncyclopediaofKnowledge

http://www.philstar.com/opinion/288961/democracy-and-federalism

http://classroom.synonym.com/definition-federalism-democracy-9289.html

https://www.ait.org.tw/infousa/zhtw/DOCS/Demopaper/dmpaper4.html

http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2016/08/04/1609913/federalism-and-democracy

democracy vs federalism

Education