The tests for the absence of democracy are quite simpler than for the existence of it. The absence of democracy can be gauged by two tests: Is there a government that is elected and does the government care about its citizens, their welfare and their opinion? The American government is definitely elected. But that is where it gets tricky and very interesting.

The one test of a democracy, having an elected government, is basically the ballot. And that is the thing almost always misunderstood as proof of the existence of democracy. The existence of ballot does not necessarily guarantee the existence of democracy as well. That proof comes from the other test: whether or not the elected government cares about the people and the vox populi.

If America were not a democracy but disguised as one, it would hold an election where a candidate would be elected by the people but once elected, the candidate would turn his back on the people and work for the interests of concentrated........

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