The United States is a mixing pot of Culture, traditions, people, and Governments. The United States identifies as a democracy and it can be one, and is. But along with being a democratic country, it is also a blend of others. The real way the United States should identify as is a “Federal Constitutional Meritocratic Plutocratic Republic Democracy”. This description is long but is a more accurate way to describe what the United States is today.
The United States was built on the idea of being a democratic society with a federal government. When the U.S. was created, people associated themselves as being part of a great democracy. This belief still continues to this day, with people always talking about being part of the system. What people do not take into account is how the United States is truthfully a combination of governments. The United States has multiple governments inside of it it is a: Democracy, Federal Republic, Meritocracy, Plutocracy, and a Republic. This paper will help explain in detail what and why the United States is a "Federal Constitutional Meritocratic Plutocratic Republic Democracy".
The Straits Times writer Simon Chesterman describes the current form of American government as a “kakistocracy” (kakistocracy rule by the worst, least qualified individual in the populace). He believes this based on his viewpoints of Donald Trump's past actions. Chesterman further reinforces this with his mentioning of Kellyanne Conway’s “alternative facts” and comparing them to North Korea’s fabricated news. (Chesterman, 2017)
Proof, that the United States is a "Federal Constitutional Meritocratic Plutocratic Republic Democracy" lies within the way our government operates and the people that it is made of. The United States is a Federal Republic because of the way it is structured. The United States has multiple states that have a say in what they want in their own states as well as giving input into how the country as a whole should operate. As Dictionary.com puts it: “A form of government made up of a federal state with a constitution and self-governing subunits.” (Dictionary.com 2014) The self-governing subunits are states and the Federal state is the country as a whole. The United States also have a constitution that helps provide checks and balances on the government while dividing the power amongst the federal government and the states ( “THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION” 1787 ).
The United States is also Constitutional Democracy. The Government is kept in check with a constitution. The Constitution is a document that our country has to help balance power within the government. We also have a democratic system in place. Every person has some way of participating in the government and has an opportunity on how they want their local and federal government to operate. Down to the county level, every citizen has an opinion and they can make it heard to their representatives. This along with each citizen’s right to vote makes the United States a Constitutional Democracy (“THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION” 1787).
Now that we have established what the United State’s government structure is, we can look more in-depth at the concept of the people inside the government. The United States is a Meritocracy and a Plutocracy. These two usually go hand in hand. People with wealth tend to get the extra merits (even if they didn’t have to work hard to get them).
Why is the United States a plutocracy? Right now, picture someone who is currently in office and how much they are making. Once you have a person in mind, google that person’s salary and continue reading. There is a very high chance that you saw that a person with a large position in government is making a substantial amount of money outside of their role in our government. People with wealth run the Government in a plutocracy and by looking at a few people in our government you can see clearly that we have a strong plutocratic presence in the Government (Plutocracy, 2018).
How is the United States a meritocracy? The United States has lots of people inside of it's Federal Government. The Government consists of all kinds of people from doctors to businessmen. When we vote for our elected officials to represent us (whether it is local or countrywide) we will look at them based on what they want to do, and what their accomplishments are. If there were two opponents one with a Ph.D. and a noble prize or the other that is just a Ph.D., you would probably look at the first with a higher regard than the second. This bias based on its achievements can be seen in most countries and is commonplace inside of our elections (meritocracy, 2018).
The United States began with ideas of a federal government with a democratic system. These ideas were put onto paper. However, the ones that were not put onto paper were the ways our system would most likely work out. With people with the most merits and wealth in power, the United States should identify more accurately as a “Federal Constitutional Meritocratic Plutocratic Republic Democracy”.
Works Cited
Chesterman, Simon. “Trump and the Triumph of Kakistocracy.” The Straits Times, 3 Mar. 2017, www.straitstimes.com/opinion/trump-and-the-triumph-of-kakistocracy.
“Federal Republic.” Dictionary.com, 2014, www.dictionary.com/browse/federal-republic.
“I. THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.” The United States Constitution, home.ubalt.edu/shapiro/rights_course/Chapter1text.htm.
“Meritocracy.” Merriam-Webster, 5 Apr. 2018, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meritocracy.
“Plutocracy.” Merriam-Webster, 15 Mar. 2018, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plutocracy.