DEMOCRACY or a REPUBLIC, WHAT’S YOU’RE CHOICE?
I had intended to write three different articles on this subject but it became so intertwined I feel this may be long but it should be educational. It certainly was to me.
Every American who reads this article should be familiar with a “Republic” and its differences with a Democracy. Unfortunately the welfare society is growing to the proportions that they will control the destiny of the ones who actually work for a living and soon. These people probably understand the differences but with the everything free, soak it to the rich and the racially charged atmosphere created by our own President, they don’t really care. I will assure you the current President and his lackeys in Congress, the Supreme Court, main stream media, Progressives and union leaders don’t want them to understand.
Democracy
Rule by Omnipotent Majority. In a Democracy, the Individual, and any group of Individuals composing any Minority, has no protection against the unlimited power of The Majority.
You can have a Direct Democracy, or a Representative Democracy. In the direct type, applicable only to a small number of people as in small American town-meeting, all of the electorate assemble to debate and decide all government questions and all decisions are reached by a majority vote (of at least half-plus-one). Decisions in these town meetings are, of course, subject to the Constitutions of the State and of the United States. The Majority described is not omnipotent and the example is therefore, this is not an example of a true Direct Democracy.
Representative Democracy is where they have a true parliamentary form of government. The people elect representatives to the national legislature and like in England the elective body is the House of Commons–and it functions by a similar vote of at least half-plus-one in making all legislative decisions.
In both examples of a Democracy, The Majority’s power is absolute and unlimited; its decisions are not subject to be over ruled under the legal system established for this form of government. This allows unlimited Tyranny-by-Majority.
Why did America become a republic?
The Framers of the United States Constitution condemned the “excesses of democracy” and abuses under any Democracy of the unalienable rights of The Individual by The Majority. The reasons were based on the royal tyranny which had been exercised through oppressions by royal governors and judges of the new State governments. The legislatures acted as if they were virtually omnipotent. There were no effective State Constitutions to limit the legislatures because most State governments were operating under mere Acts of their respective legislatures which labeled as State “Constitutions.” States operated under old Charters.
It was not until 1780 that the first genuine Republic through constitutionally limited government was adopted by Massachusetts–next New Hampshire in 1784, other States later.
Thomas Jefferson stated, “An elective despotism was not the government we fought for.” He also denounced the despotic concentration of power in the Virginia Legislature under the so-called “Constitution”–in reality a mere Act of that body. Having all the powers of government, legislative, executive, judiciary, controlled by one legislative body is not freedom. Concentrating these in the same hands is precisely the definition of despotic government.
Our forefathers by their protests against the “excesses of democracy” were merely making clear their sound reasons for preferring a Republic as the proper form of government. They well knew, in light of history, that nothing but a Republic can provide the best safeguards–in truth in the long run the only effective form of government to protect the people’s civil liberties which are historically victimized by Democracy’s form and system of unlimited Government-over-Man featuring The Majority Omnipotent.
They also knew that the American people would not consent to any form of government but that of a Republic. Jefferson, who was in Paris as the American Minister for several years, wrote Madison in March 1789 the following: “The tyranny of the legislatures is the most formidable dread at present and will be for long years. That of the executive will come its turn, but it will be at a remote period.”
Earlier, Madison had written Jefferson about violation of the Bill of Rights by State legislatures, stating: “Repeated violations of those parchment barriers have been committed by overbearing majorities in every State. In Virginia I have seen the bill of rights violated in every instance where it has been opposed to a popular current.”
In any Democracy–either a Direct or a Representative type–as a form of government, there can be no legal system which protects The Individual or The Minority against tyranny by The Majority. The undependable sense of self-restraint of the persons making up The Majority at any particular time offers, of course, no protection whatever. Such a form of government is characterized by The Majority Omnipotent and Unlimited.
Democracy, as a form of government, was and still is, utterly unacceptable to that of a Republic. The underlying philosophy, expressed in the Declaration of Independence has the people forming their government so as to permit them to possess only “just powers”. This allows us to keep secure, the God-given, unalienable rights of each and every Individual and therefore of all groups of Individuals.
Unfortunately America has been on a path to change our system of government back to its original Democracy that our ancestors fought and died to make a Republic. I only wish more Americans would open their eyes to what the loss of individual freedom means for their ancestors. The Progressive movement to make this change has been gaining strength for over 112 years. Unfortunately Obama and the democrats in leadership today are pressing for a Socialist Democracy, an Empire, a Monarchy or a combination of all, who really knows? I hope you read my recent article on Denmark that describes a combination of a Monarchy and Socialist Democracy combined. I am happy with our “Republic” form of government, are you? If you desire any other form of government, please move to your country of choice and leave freedom loving Americans alone.
C Brewer
A Conservative View 