THE NATURE OF AMERICA’S GOVERNMENT
A Republic, not a Democracy
“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” – Benjamin Franklin
Background
Increasing numbers of people believe our country is supposed to be a democracy, favoring the idea of direct voting on nearly everything. This idea stems from the concept of “equity,” now defined as equal outcomes for everyone. The call to get rid of the Electoral College is probably the most well-organized of the plans to eliminate America’s true nature, but fortunately, it is still pretty widely opposed. Still, we can never be complacent, given the strength and funding of this movement.
Schools aren’t teaching much detail about our important history. Given the rapid success of the model of a republic government side-by-side with laissez-faire capitalism, why would anyone want to select the less-successful government models of Stalin, Chavez, Hitler, Castro or Xi? It seems crazy that there is any appeal, but the reality is that people who aren’t educated in what has made this country great and given a clear path for hardworking people to become successful will seek to change it, simply because “change is good.”
I’m a Baby Boomer and as such, a child of the ‘60’s. I remember feeling out of step because I didn’t want to fight to change everything. My parents taught me to think rationally, logically and carefully about all issues and to be willing to study to understand things better before coming to a conclusion. I also learned to keep my mind open; new data means new analysis. Did I think America was perfect? No, but do I want to live somewhere else that I perceive is doing things better?
Some History
“We are now forming a republican government,” Alexander Hamilton said. “Real liberty is neither found in despotism or the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments.”
John Adams also spoke on this subject, “Remember Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a Democracy Yet, that did not commit suicide,” he wrote. “It is in vain to Say that Democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious or less avaricious than Aristocracy or Monarchy. It is not true in Fact and nowhere appears in history. Those Passions are the same in all Men under all forms of Simple Government, and when unchecked, produce the same Effects of Fraud Violence and Cruelty.”
Thomas Jefferson said, “Democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”
In forming a new government, they wanted to learn from as well as avoid the mistakes of the past. They created a representative republic, not a democracy. I was taught this in school, but I suspect few are now. But Benjamin Franklin also warned, “We are giving you a republic, if you can keep it.” He and the other founders knew that no matter what they put in the Constitution, the risks were great that those thirsting for power would challenge the rule of law and seize what they could.
The Heritage Foundation studied this issue and wrote,” America’s Founders carefully thought through the problems of direct democracy and explicitly rejected this model—and for good reason. They saw that because ancient democracies lacked any social or institutional forces that could check, refine, or moderate the will of the majority, they were prone to great instability, riven by factionalism, and subject to the passions and short-sightedness of the public. Direct democracies were thus vulnerable to tyranny.
American republicanism, by contrast, offers protections from the instability, rashness, impetuosity, and social and political tyranny of democratic politics because it recognizes that the majority does not equal the whole of the community. Republicanism recognizes the valid contributions to the welfare of the community by non- and even counter-majoritarian parts of the community. Indeed, justice demands that, even in a nation rooted in popular consent, non- and counter-majoritarian forces must be blended together. In this way, republicanism protects the minority from unjust majorities and secures the conditions for the political and social freedoms that are the true goal of the American revolution.”
I couldn’t have explained it better myself.
What Do We Do Now?
It’s a tough question, but it starts with recognizing the validity of differing opinions, be they majority or minority opinions. As long as we don’t invade the rights of others, we should be able to live freely according to our values and wonts. But we can’t demand laws to invalidate others’ choices.
We must strive to understand that equality, guaranteed to citizens in our country, is not the same as equity. As I’ve previously written, one involves providing equal opportunity, the other assuring equal outcomes. As we are gifted with different talents, abilities and work ethic, our outcomes can never be made “equitable” without destroying the drive of those who work hard to create the life they want. Remember, in studies where school grades were averaged, so everyone had equity, each test cycle resulted in a lower average. The hard-working, A students lost the motivation to work hard because they could never achieve the A they deserved. History repeats itself over and over again, when democracy and “equity” rule. Without a reward for success, wealth shrinks for everyone and are lives become hard. Is that really what you want?
The bottom line to me is that we are all incredibly gifted, but we have to understand where our abilities lie and then put in the time and effort to develop them. The best of us across the years weren’t perhaps the brightest or most gifted. They were the ones with persevered through hardship, cared passionately about what they did and put in the work. America is a republic, designed to support minority views as well as majority views. When we, the people understand it, perhaps we can triumph over the mainstream media and the Democrats.
This is what should be taught on schools. I remember when it was
I do too. But now, kids learn very little about our history or government. Witness AOC saying the three parts of govt were the House, Senate and Presidency.