To the Editor,

There they go again with their “the USA is not a democracy” nonsense. The Tea Party and 9/12 groups insist that we are a constitutional republic, but not a democracy.

A republic is defined as any government that is not a monarchy. We have no king or queen; hence ours must be a republic — like many others.

China is a communist republic; Iran is an Islamic republic. What kind of “republic” are we? We have a constitution, so it’s fair to say, yes, we’re a constitutional republic. (China and Iran also have constitutions…)

Does that preclude our nation being a democracy? No. If you read our Constitution, you will see that it sets out the procedures that allow every adult American citizen to vote for their representatives, from City Council to Congress to President. Thus, we also are a representative democracy. To say that we are not is absurd.

Ann Harroun
Loveland, Colorado