We are a Republic not a Democracy
I have heard and read much recently about some of our elected representatives saying that certain individuals and groups are a threat to our Democracy. They give no explanation as to what that threat is, only that there is one.
In my experience, general statements such as that are not real. They are talking points made up to scare people with little or no truth behind them. Ignore those who say such things as they have no idea what they are talking about.
But even more distressing is that these people are saying that we live in a Democracy. Either they are lying or have no idea what the United States is all about. “No big deal” some say. It is a bid deal because we are in fact a Democratic Republic, not a Democracy. Our founding fathers wanted it that way, for the following reasons.
Alexander Hamilton stated, “Real liberty is neither found in despotism or the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments.” Hamilton recognized the harms of a real Democracy, mostly that it excludes any minority rights.
Recently we’ve seen attacks waged on two important aspects of our Republic: the Electoral College and the filibuster. Those who argue against these things see both as a threat to Democracy.
The issue with these are that both give rights to the minority. Hamilton saw that in a Democracy, the majority have the power to take away the rights of the minority simply by being the majority.
The Founders saw the potential, horrific consequences of letting the majority have total power, so they instituted a system that ensured that everyone’s opinion and to a large degree, rights, mattered and were recognized.
The Electoral College ensures that the interest of every state is considered in our federal elections. The filibuster guarantees that the party that is not in power still has a say in policy. Every aspect of our Republic has been carefully crafted so that the minority and their rights will not be stripped away at the whim of the majority.
Thomas Jefferson said, “The Republic is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind.” Jefferson recognized a secret war occurs under a Democracy. This is a combat for power and control. As Plato said, “Dictatorships naturally arises out of Democracies.” The Founders set out to erase this secret war from America. They worked to achieve this by creating a separation of powers in our federal government.
John Adams also saw the harm of Democracy. He said, “Remember, Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a Democracy that did not commit suicide.”
Adams knew that a Democracy is often fraught with human error and corruption. Because of this, Democracies often lead to a government takeover of the people, often organized by the people. Democracies never last long before a dictator becomes appointed to rule over the masses.
The Founders formed our Republic in a way that all people are both heard and represented. Representative Democracy became their solution to this issue as both the majority and the minority can have their voices heard by their representatives who pursue legislation for those they represent.
The Founders were explicit about their views on Democracy, and for that reason, they looked hard, and found solutions that led to our Constitutional Republic. Our system is not be perfect, but it is one in which every voice can be heard.
In fact, it seems that today the pendulum has swung too far to the minority side. It seems that the minority currently has a greater say than the majority does and influences more and more of what we are expected to accept and follow. Who would have thought there could be tyranny by the minority?
This is because our representatives have made service a life-long career. The Founders never conceived of this when drafting the Constitution, because in their time. Representatives had to hold real jobs in order to survive. They got little or nothing from the government in terms of pay and benefits. So they transacted business and got home as quickly as possible in order to earn a living.
Once they made “service” their life’s work and gave themselves generous payments and perks, that all changed. The Founders never conceived of this happening and so term limits were not part of their plan. While we added term limits to stop a president for serving forever, it is right that the same should be true for Congressmen, Senators and even Judges.
When I hear about saving Democracy, I laugh. These so called representatives and experts have no idea what they are talking about. They should be called out on this as it is the foundation of our country and how it was designed. And they should be tested on their knowledge of just what is in our Constitution and what it is all about. If they cannot pass an exam on such (Not just pass, but score highly) they should not be allowed to serve. How can you defend something you know nothing about?
Some content for this article was taken from:
3 Quotes From Founding Fathers Remind Us Why We Are a Constitutional Republic (Not a Democracy) — Seth Griffin / December 08, 2020
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter H. Christian was a founding partner and president of espi, a business consulting firm in Northeastern PA. Previously he was an Executive at Crayola Corporation. He has worked with 300+ clients in business development, profit improvement, operations, IS selection and implementation, and Project Management. He has 40+ years of experience in strategic and facility planning, CI, lean, and supply chain. He has helped companies to realize millions of dollars in cost reductions and profit improvements adding and retaining thousands of jobs. He has authored the Amazon bestselling business books, “What About the Vermin Problem?” and “Influences and Influencers” (4 out of 4 star review on Online Bookclub) and is published in a variety of professional magazines. He is most appreciative of Dr. Rodney Ridley and Donald Schalk of the O’Pake Institute, Alvernia University for their support in allowing him to teach this important course
