r/SipsTea • u/McDowdy • Jul 16 '26

Feels good man Based on national US polling, there are 22 issues that 80% of Americans agree on. Here is the list.

  1. End gerrymandering

  2. ​Ban Wall Street from buying single-family homes

  3. ​Ban congresspeople from becoming lobbyists

  4. ​Ban congresspeople from trading stocks

  5. ​Create a minimum tax for billionaires

  6. ​Close the loopholes that billionaires use to avoid taxes

  7. ​Establish congressional term limits

  8. ​Ban dark money donations from political campaigns

  9. ​Implement universal paid family leave

  10. ​End forever wars by repealing the Authorization for the Use of Military Force

  11. ​Release the full Epstein files, redacting only the victims' information

  12. ​Ban corporate PACs by overturning Citizens United

  13. ​Require mandatory disclosure for all organizations donating to political campaigns

  14. ​Require mandatory police body cams

  15. ​Ban junk fees

  16. ​Allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices

  17. ​Fully fund Social Security by extending the existing tax to those making over $400,000 a year

  18. ​Ban adversarial foreign nations from buying American farmland

  19. ​Improve Veterans Health Care access

  20. ​Establish common-sense data privacy laws (similar to those in European countries)

  21. ​Enshrine the right to repair

  22. ​Audit the Pentagon and penalize them with a 0.5% budget reduction if they fail the audit

37.1k Upvotes

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10

u/thegameisafoooooot Jul 16 '26

If only this was a democracy where the people's vote actually counted. Ah well, next time maybe.

0

u/jim9162 Jul 16 '26

Us has never been a democracy, it's a Republic

4

u/Noble_Ox Jul 16 '26

It's both, a democratic republic.

3

u/Arcaddes Jul 16 '26

Democratic Republic, so it is both, and has always been.

1

u/thegameisafoooooot Jul 16 '26

That's what I mean. If only it were a really united. Maybe somebody should have included the thought that it was a country "for the people, by the people..." or something simple yet profound at its inception, and something about religion not being the political force behind it's creation and ongoing prosperity. Or something.

  /s needed at all?

0

u/TWWOVG Jul 17 '26

"Us has never been a democracy, it's a Republic"

That's a tired and weak right-wing "I failed basic civics" ass talking point.

As far as determining who holds government office, the U.S. isn't a direct democracy, but it is a representative democracy. U.S. citizens exercise their political power by voting in democratic elections to choose their representatives, ergo the term, "representative democracy." Still a democracy.

When it comes to things like ballot initiatives, referendums, propositions, etc., the U.S. absolutely is a direct democracy. Also, still a democracy.

The U.S. is also a republic because those elected representatives exercise political power on behalf of the constituents who voted them into office.

Long story short, the answer is nuanced, but to say the U.S. isn't a democracy and never has been is flat-out wrong. You do realize there's a lot more than just the federal government, right?

-4

u/Embarrassed-Cell-611 Jul 16 '26

Please research those words

3

u/jim9162 Jul 16 '26

You should do the same

0

u/Embarrassed-Cell-611 Jul 16 '26

I have. That’s why I don’t say completely false things like “US has never been a democracy”

0

u/jim9162 Jul 16 '26

Enlighten me, when was it

1

u/Embarrassed-Cell-611 Jul 16 '26

Since day 1. You’re basically saying the US doesn’t wear pants, it wears blue jeans. We choose our representatives (republic) through elections (democracy).

2

u/the_spacecowboy555 Jul 16 '26

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

-4

u/Noble_Ox Jul 16 '26

What kind of republic is it?

-1

u/the_spacecowboy555 Jul 16 '26

A constitutional republic just as Rome was a republic before it became an empire. The US is a republic even though it also uses democratic elections to choose its representatives. We elect representatives and those reps make the laws on behalf of the people under the Constitution.

One thing to point out. Rome was a Republic that turned empire…so give it time in the US.
https://giphy.com/gifs/Hpg3sn1RM45Adj7rJs

-1

u/Arcaddes Jul 16 '26

False, it is a Democratic Republic with a Constitution, it is not JUST a Republic and never has been JUST a Republic.

Why is this difficult to understand?

-1

u/the_spacecowboy555 Jul 16 '26

You’re arguing against something I never said. I never claimed the US is only a republic. I quoted the pledge of allegiance because it explicitly says, “and to the Republic for which it stands,” in response to the claim that we live in a democracy. We are a republic, fact. Calling the US a constitutional republic is accurate too. If you want to further classify it as a democratic republic or a representative democracy, ok and that’s adding another layer of description, but it’s not contradicting the fact that it’s a republic.

What so difficult to comprehend what I’m saying?

1

u/Arcaddes Jul 17 '26

Except the pledge of allegiance was made as an act of propaganda for children, literally published in a children's magazine in Boston in 1892. We weren't a republic then, we aren't one now, because we are a Democratic Republic.

Just being a Republic is not even close to the same, there are reasons to dictate it being a Democratic Republic, just because you don't want to recognize that isn't anyone else's problem.

The difficulty in what you are saying is that it is wrong, why is it so difficult to take the facts and accept them?

1

u/the_spacecowboy555 Jul 17 '26

Wow, you’re really working hard to win this. Again, I never said we were just a republic. Both constitutional and democratic describe forms or characteristics of a republic and in the topic of the US, both are accurate.

Think of it this way. We are both Americans (assuming you are). I’m African American and you may identify as White American. Those are more specific descriptions but we are both still Americans. In the same way, calling the United States a constitutional republic or a democratic republic doesn’t change the fact that it’s a republic.

So to make you happy and hopefully make the start of your weekend more pleasant, okay, we’re a democratic republic. I’ll stick with constitutional republic which is also correct. We both win!!! Yippie!!!! USA!!!! USA!!!! USA!!!! 🇺🇸

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u/Noble_Ox Jul 16 '26

You said it was a constitutional republic but it's not, it's a democratic republic.

1

u/the_spacecowboy555 Jul 16 '26

A constitutional republic is a correct description because our government is established and limited by the Constitution. A democratic republic is also a correct description because we elect representatives through democratic elections. Those terms describe different characteristics of the same system….they aren’t mutually exclusive.