Great Things About America Get Lost
I performed an impromptu study involving the people I come into contact on a daily basis as to what form of Government we have in our Country. It involved about 50 or so people that range from blue collar workers to some that have achieved PhD’s in their lifetimes.
The question I asked was; what is America and what type of Government does the United States of America have in place? Without exception, the answer was; “A Democracy”
In reality they are all wrong. We live in a republic Country. Think about it. In the Pledge of Allegiance that we are all taught, or used to be taught, we pledge our allegiance to our Republic, not a Democracy. Our Constitution spells it out very clearly, it even states that No state may join the United States unless it is a republic.
Where it got lost I think is through our political process. A Republic and a Democracy are identical except for one distinct fact. That fact has enormous legal significance! Let’s start with the definition of Republic and democracy;
re·pub·lic
rəˈpəblik/
noun
noun: republic; plural noun: republics
- a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.
- archaic
a group with a certain equality between its members. de·moc·ra·cy
dəˈmäkrəsē/
noun
noun: democracy
- a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
- ” a state governed by a democracy.
plural noun: democracies
“a multiparty democracy”
- control of an organization or group by the majority of its members.
The distinction is that in a Democracy, the majority rules. 51% of the people make the rules for the 49% that don’t want the rules imposed on them. In a democracy there are no minority rights except civil rights granted by a condescending majority.
In a Republic, which is what our Country is, people have natural rights instead of civil rights, the people are protected from the majority by the Bill of Rights.
Our Republic, again from The Pledge of Allegiance, is dedicated to “Liberty and Justice for all”.
The only place left that we see this true Republic anywhere in our Country today is when you are seated on a jury. This is exactly what happened to me, and what began my search into this topic.
Think about the jury system…. 12 people in the room. 11 of them think the defendant is guilty, but one does not. The defendant cannot be convicted of a crime as long as one person does not believe he is guilty. A Republic in action! In a Democracy, he would be found guilty by a majority, and it would be game over.
In a Republic, the group only has advisory powers, the individual is free to reject the majority group thinking. The exception to this is if the group of jurors unanimously convicts the defendant, then he or she loses their sovereignty and is subject to the group – think as in a democracy.
Again, WE ARE A REPUBLIC! In that republic we have the free will to reject the majority thinking! Think about that for a minute….
Let’s say… oh I don’t know… that a group of people want to force all of the people to have health care. And those people propose a bill that will require everyone to have some sort of health insurance. To assure that everyone complies they institute a system by which the government will monitor the people’s compliance with the law. If you don’t comply, there will be penalties; your first offence will be, say $95.00 or 1% of your income. Second offence is $325.00 or 2% of your income. Third offence is $695.00 or 2.5% of your income.
People argue this proposed bill back and forth. They argue the pros and cons back and forth, generating very strong opinions both for and against the matter. One side preaches it is for the “common good” the other side rebuts with “this is government control, not freedom, and loss of choice!”
Some people want this so vehemently they even proclaim, “If you want to see what’s in the bill, you have to pass the bill.”
The vote takes place and wins by a slim majority. Since the majority won, the bill goes into effect as the majority celebrates and the minority retreats in disgust. As a result of the majority winning, every individual must obtain health insurance or have a penalty imposed on them. Because, in a democracy the majority has mandatory powers. If you don’t comply, you will be penalized.
The minority has no voice or rights to refuse to accept the majority. EVERYTHING is mandatory in a democracy.
Here is how it is supposed to work in a Republican Form of Government
People propose a bill that will require everyone to have some sort of health insurance. To assure that everyone complies they institute a system by which the government will monitor the people’s compliance with the law. If you don’t comply, there will be penalties; your first offence will be, say $95.00 or 1% of your income. Second offence is $325.00 or 2% of your income. Third offence is $695.00 or 2.5% of your income.
People argue this proposed bill back and forth. They argue the pros and cons back and forth, generating very strong opinions both for and against the matter. One side preaches it is for the “common good” the other side rebuts with “this is government control, not freedom, and loss of choice!”
Some people want this so vehemently they even proclaim, “If you want to see what’s in the bill, you have to pass the bill.”
The vote takes place and wins by a slim majority. Since the majority won, the bill goes into effect as the majority celebrates and the minority retreats in disgust.
In a Republic, each individual is equally sovereign, he or she is free to reject the majority. He may choose to follow the majority and subject himself to the rule, or he may choose not to follow the majority and not subject himself to the rule, he is FREE to reject the majority rule. As the minority, he has a voice and rights to refuse to accept the majority! Everything is advisory in a republic.
Can you see why our Founding Fathers made our Country a Republic???
It brings LIBERTY AND PEACE to the realm.
In a Republic, the sovereignty resides in the people themselves, whether individually or as a group. In a republic, one may act on his own OR through a representative (s) that he chooses to solve a problem. He has NO obligation to the government, quite the opposite actually, the government being hired by the people, is obliged to IT’S owner, THE PEOPLE.
Our Founding Fathers did “Ordain and establish this Constitution,” not for themselves, but,” for the United States of America” In delegating powers to government agencies the people gave up none of their own. (See the preamble of the U.S. constitution)
It begs for the question can the people coexist and still prevail over government agencies that have no authority over the people?
Oh I know the “go to answer” will be to read the 14th amendment, but what I am proposing is that we have LOST the understanding of what a “Republic” is, and that we are a Republic first and a Democracy second.
People enjoy their God given natural rights under a Republic. In a Democracy, the people ONLY enjoy their government granted privileges (also known as civil rights).
My hope is that we can return our country to the understanding that we are a Republic, because I value individual freedom!
Remember…..
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS……”
With your help we can raise the awareness of the differences between a Republic and a Democracy and bring our government under control of the “People” once again!