>
> As an addendum to the eloquent observations of my Montreal-based
> friend... why the "they" and "us" mentality? Again, this is
> something that strikes me (and most Canadians) very oddly about
> US citizens.
>
> Notions of democracy and personal freedoms and
> the government of the people are very foremost to Americans,
> but they also tend to have a "they" and "us" opinion of the
> governments their democracy elects.
>
Key point: We are NOT a democracy. We are a democratically elected
Republic. I think the explanation of this mentality is the fact that it
seems difficult to elect someone who actually does what they say they're
going to do. It seems that much of what happens on Capitol Hill and in the
White House has little to do with what the people actually want, or why
they voted for an individual. It has to do with who's funding them, and
other politcal games. It's always been that way, to an extent, but it's
getting worse. That's why you hear about militias running around in
Montana.
Regards,
J
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