Do we live in a democracy or a republic?
Do we live in a democracy or a republic? Let’s ask Google. I used Google’s ngram viewer to search TONS of books written since 1780. It turns out that the word “republic” was far more common than...
View ArticleDo we live in a “compound Constitutional Republic” or something else?
Last March, the Utah legislature passed a bill (HB 220) requiring Utah’s public schools to teach that the United States is a “compound Constitutional republic.” This past week, the Tribune ran two...
View ArticleWhat are the philosophical differences between the parties?
Differences between political parties reflect differences in how individuals view the world. These views can be traced back to philosophical questions that have concerned political theorists for...
View ArticleUtahns don’t know much about Utah government
Although Americans often take pride in living in the world’s oldest democracy, American voters tend to do a very poor job answering basic questions about our political system. (Think you’re an...
View ArticleSenator Lee Rebounds
These are heady days for Senate Republicans. With a wave of electoral victories across the country, they have taken control from the Democrats, meaning that Republicans like Orrin Hatch will be...
View Article“And then depression set in:” Why don’t Utahns turn out to vote?
Professors Quin Monson and Michael Barber contributed to this post. In the movie “Stripes,” Bill Murray plays a down on his luck cab driver named John Winger. When his girlfriend walks out on him, he...
View ArticleShould we invite them to the party?
The author would like to thank Professors Mike Barber and Chris Karpowitz for advice and assistance they provided with this blog. In the spirit of full disclosure, the author of this blog has also...
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