But our means of electing our leaders and approving legislation at the local level is "democratic."
It is true that the states and the central government function as a representative republic, as they should. But when you vote for your governor, it is by a majority of the voters of your state. When you vote for your Senator, the same. Your U.S. Representative, the majority of votes in that district, and so on.
A true "Democracy" as a form of government would entail a plebescite--voting by all eligible citizens--for every law or change of law that came down. We obviously don't have that, nor is there any threat of it.
So, don't let the firebreathers that infest this site rattle you. They simply use a hypersensitivity to certain keywords like "democracy" as a trigger for rants that truly have no meaning, since there doesn't appear to be any sort of credible threat to ending our present form of government.
I hope that wasn't supposed to make us feel better...
Well, since I view our present form of government as Incremental Socialism, I would have to agree with you. But what do I know, I'm just a person who cares deeply about what I and others see happening to our country, and we see things that don't bode well at all for the future.
Or, I'm just a firebreathing pest, as you see me. Tell me, do you see our government the same way as I do?