We DON'T "have a democracy in this land".
America is a REPUBLIC...not a democracy--the Founding Fathers were strongly opposed to democracy, & therefore they established America as a REPUBLIC, & required that all states have a republican form of government as well.
Yo Lib...TECHNICALLY, you're right, of course...but we
no longer stand by the Social Studies Teacher's exam with the matching identifications. Check with any dictionary today, and the common responses include a real mishmash
of interchangeable terms, with sometimes only SLIGHT
differentiations which become negligible in blogging and
newscasts:
6 entries found for DEMOCRACY
Main Entry: democracy
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: representation
Synonyms: capitalism, commonwealth, egalitarianism, emancipation, equalitarianism, equality, free enterprise, freedom, justice, laissez faire, liberal government, private ownership, representative government, REPUBLIC, suffrage
Main Entry: capitalism
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: system
Synonyms: commercialism, competition, DEMOCRACY, free enterprise, free market, industrialism, laissez faire, mercantilism, private enterprise
Main Entry: commonwealth
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: country
Synonyms: body politic, citizenry, citizens, commonality, DEMOCRACY, federation, nation, people, polity, REPUBLIC, society
Main Entry: freedom
Part of Speech: noun 2
Definition: independence
Synonyms: abolition, abolitionism, autarchy, autonomy, citizenship, deliverance, delivery, DEMOCRACY, discharge, disengagement, disimprisonment, emancipation, enfranchisement, exemption, extrication, franchise, home rule, immunity, impunity, liberation, liberty, manumission, parole, prerogative, privilege, probation, redemption, release, relief, representative government, rescue, salvage, salvation, self-determination, self-government, sovereignty
Main Entry: nation
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: country
Synonyms: body politic, colony, commonwealth, community, DEMOCRACY, domain, dominion, empire, kingdom, land, monarchy, people, populace, population, principality, public, race, realm, REPUBLIC, society, sovereignty, state, tribe
THEN, there are the definitions/synonyms for REPUBLIC:
4 entries found for Republic.
Main Entry: commonwealth
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: country
Synonyms: body politic, citizenry, citizens, commonality, DEMOCRACY, federation, nation, people, polity, REPUBLIC, society
Main Entry: democracy
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: representation
Synonyms: capitalism, commonwealth, egalitarianism, emancipation, equalitarianism, equality, free enterprise, freedom, justice, laissez faire, liberal government, private ownership, representative government, REPUBLIC, suffrage
Main Entry: nation
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: country
Synonyms: body politic, colony, commonwealth, community, DEMOCRACY, domain, dominion, empire, kingdom, land, monarchy, people, populace, population, principality, public, race, realm, REPUBLIC, society, sovereignty, state, tribe
Main Entry: state
Part of Speech: noun 3
Definition: government
Synonyms: big brother, body politic, commonwealth, community, country, federation, kingdom, land, nation, REPUBLIC, sovereignty, territory, union
my source:
http://thesaurus.reference.com/search?q=democracy
But, hey!...good for you for keeping us on our toes!