“Real liberty is not found in the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments. If we incline too much to democracy, we shall soon shoot into a monarchy, or some other form of dictatorship.” Alexander Hamilton
Government indoctrination centers have muddled the waters to such an extinct that the majority of people in this country do not know what form of government we have, nor do many care. Many people are under the false impression that America is a democracy. This is of course utter nonsense. The United States is not a democracy – it is a Constitutional Republic. And yes, it does matter because the two are not interchangeable.
The overriding characteristic of democracy is subjectivism, the doctrine that reality and truth is not a firm absolute but a fluid realm subjective to consciousness. Reason is irrelevant therefore whatever the majority want, they get regardless of how unprincipled or objectionable it may be to the citizens. Just like a tyranny or monarchy, the law becomes whatever the government determines it to be. Laws do not represent reason – they represent force. In this form of government restraint rests upon the individual, not government. Rights are but privileges that can be rescinded at any time, for any reason.
In a Republic, sovereignty resides with the people themselves and government operates as a servant of the people. It’s true, a Republic has some similarities to democracy in that it uses democratic processes to elect representatives and pass new laws, etc., but the critical difference lies in the fact that a Republic has a Constitution that limits government powers, establishes how government is structured and creates checks and balances between the branches of government, the goal of which is to avoid the danger of either tyranny or mobocracy. It is the Constitution, as well as the willingness of the people to live by it that keeps Americans free.
Our Founding Fathers, fearing a democracy as much as a monarchy, understood the importance of a government in which the majority of the population would set the course, but the minority would be able to influence the process through the structures established in our founding documents. They were extraordinarily conscientious with regard to the concept of separation of powers, not just between branches of government, but within the principal branch of government most representative of and responsive to the people, Congress.
It is our form of government, our history, and our founding documents that have kept America free. If we remain apathetic, if we do not stand up for our rights, for our freedoms, for our nation, we will lose them.
“You have rights antecedent to all earthy governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe.” John Adams