ProjectEight
06-16-2005, 07:10 PM
I was ignorant and thought America was a democracy. I have been informed that America is not a Democracy but is a Constitutional Republic. Something I was not taught in school. I always heard we were the land of the free, a democracy.
I apologize, I will leave the government alone.
http://www.tylwythteg.com/enemies/constit.html
Under the well-worn banner of "power to the people," a call to allow national referendums by direct popular vote has been raised by Reform Party presidential hopeful Pat Buchanan. The implementation of direct democracy through National Initiative and Referendum would not only subvert our system of representative government but would destroy the checks and balances so carefully crafted by our Founding Fathers in the Constitution.
The fact that such a proposition is not immediately rejected is proof that most Americans are misinformed about the nature and character of our system of government. They do not understand the thinking behind the structure of our Constitutional Republic and the protections it provides. This widespread ignorance of our political heritage presents a serious threat to the rights of every American citizen and our future security as a nation of free people.
The Constitution is the centerpiece of American government. Although the framers included democratic elements in our system of government, such as voters directly electing their representatives, our nation is not a democracy. The United States is a Constitutional Republic.
In a republic, law making powers are not exercised directly by the people but by representatives elected by the people and accountable to them through re-election.
"Modern times...discovered the only device by which rights can be secured, to wit: government by the people, acting not in person but by representatives chosen by themselves." Thomas Jefferson
It is interesting to note that during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 not one voice was raised in support of direct democracy. Indeed, direct democracy was not merely disliked by our Founding Fathers, it was feared as a harbinger of tyranny. They understood that among the fatal flaws of pure democracy is that it provides no checks and balances on the people themselves. Pure democracy has been called tyranny of the majority because it would allow 51% of the people to deprive the other 49% of their rights by a majority vote.
"â?¦democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; 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 their deaths." James Madison â?? Federalist #10
I apologize, I will leave the government alone.
http://www.tylwythteg.com/enemies/constit.html
Under the well-worn banner of "power to the people," a call to allow national referendums by direct popular vote has been raised by Reform Party presidential hopeful Pat Buchanan. The implementation of direct democracy through National Initiative and Referendum would not only subvert our system of representative government but would destroy the checks and balances so carefully crafted by our Founding Fathers in the Constitution.
The fact that such a proposition is not immediately rejected is proof that most Americans are misinformed about the nature and character of our system of government. They do not understand the thinking behind the structure of our Constitutional Republic and the protections it provides. This widespread ignorance of our political heritage presents a serious threat to the rights of every American citizen and our future security as a nation of free people.
The Constitution is the centerpiece of American government. Although the framers included democratic elements in our system of government, such as voters directly electing their representatives, our nation is not a democracy. The United States is a Constitutional Republic.
In a republic, law making powers are not exercised directly by the people but by representatives elected by the people and accountable to them through re-election.
"Modern times...discovered the only device by which rights can be secured, to wit: government by the people, acting not in person but by representatives chosen by themselves." Thomas Jefferson
It is interesting to note that during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 not one voice was raised in support of direct democracy. Indeed, direct democracy was not merely disliked by our Founding Fathers, it was feared as a harbinger of tyranny. They understood that among the fatal flaws of pure democracy is that it provides no checks and balances on the people themselves. Pure democracy has been called tyranny of the majority because it would allow 51% of the people to deprive the other 49% of their rights by a majority vote.
"â?¦democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; 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 their deaths." James Madison â?? Federalist #10