Is the US still a democracy?

[eniwetok]

16. democracy vs republic

Somehow this discussion was poisoned 250 years ago... and now we constantly hear that refrain to defend our antidemocratic system that we're a republic not a democracy as if republics are REQUIRED to be antidemocratic. We in the US simply can't think clearly on this topic. In the most basic terms a "republic" is simply a nation with a written constitution, representative government, no royalty, and runs on democratic principles. And in a perverted way the US has democratic principles... in that states have suffrage. But democracy is about the PEOPLES' suffrage, and when "states" vote... as if "states" vote... it's really people who live there... we end up with the absurdity of the 600k people in WY having the same vote in the Senate as the 39 million in CA. We've been brought up to believe the House makes this all fair, but anyone in CA doesn't vote for all of their 50ish representatives... only the one. So we have a system where 18% of the population gets 52% of the seats in the Senate, and the Senate has a veto over anything coming out of the House plus special powers on nominations and treaties. Combine that with the EC and we can effectively have minority rule.