“From this view of the subject it may be concluded that a pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person, can admit of no cure of the mischief of faction. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole; a communication and concert result from the form of government itself; and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious individual. Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contentions; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in the deaths.
“A republic, by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation takes place opens a different prospect, and promises the cure for which we are seeking.” Publius
Americans, our congressmen and legislators, are fond of using the term democracy. Ask anyone what our form of government is, and they will answer that we are a democracy. But, of course, our founding fathers did not create a democracy and for very good reasons.
One might characterize a Democracy as mob rule and a Republic as the rule of law. People might use the term democracy because it is a connotation that makes them believe they are somehow in control of the system. But democracy oppresses initiative, incentive, and lends itself to a socialist perspective in which excellence is lost. On the other hand, what does one do when our leaders try to change the fabric of America? What does one do when factions seek the demise of public faith? What does one do when one’s government spends what we do not have? What does one do when one realizes that nearly 70% of every dollar one makes is taxed? What does one do when one acts and then finds oneself on the government’s list of radical, rightwing extremists? They who seek to bring America back to its roots are suddenly seen as a danger to America.
Our liberal courts have taken the rule of law into their own hands, adjudicating them as they see fit. We have also given the vote to everyone reaching the age of 18. While this gives many a feeling of fairness, it also includes many who do not pay taxes, own no property, and have little at stake. Furthermore, it allows those among us to vote who have no idea what they are voting for, or they may vote simply as a matter of loyalty to a culture or race. It reduces America to its lowest common denominator where the likes of Hollywood decadence is equated to the best America has to offer, and the votes of a self-indulgent society continues to allow it.
Factions try to dominate our society and influence the rule of law. A leading example is homosexuals who have goaded many states into instituting same sex marriage. One might extrapolate that in years to come to some states allowing bestiality, sex with children, or the prosecution of child pornographers as usurping the first amendment.
Again, the very freedom that we guard so vehemently might be our undoing. The adulteration of American law has become, while laughable, one of fierce contention as it strays from the Constitution and undermines the foundations of a reasonable and prudent society.
Is the grass roots uprising of the so called “silent majority” as part of the Tea Party protests an indication that those who feel disenfranchised are ready to revolt? Is an intellectual revolution at hand? If the “anointed one” continues to appease and praise the likes of Hugo Chavez, it may become more than just intellectual. It may stoop to become a democracy or an overture to anarchy. Is there really any difference?
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