There are myriad articles and shows where people mistakenly state that our country is a democracy. That is simply not the case.
It is even worse when an elected official makes this statement.
Any politician who refers to our country as a democracy should go back to school and study American History.
The United States was founded as a Constitutional Republic. Our Founders did this because many of them were historians and they knew that a democracy is not a very good model for governance.
In a democracy the majority rules. Period.
Thus, the minority could find themselves with absolutely no rights at all. Everything would occur at the whim of the majority.
That is also the reason for the Electoral College. This system fully eliminates the possibility of two or three large cities (like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago) determining the course of our nation.
Consider what some of our Founders thought about Democracy.
Father of our US Constitution and 4th president, James Madison, did not hold back. He said, "Democracy is the most vile form of government. ... 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 the have been violent in their deaths."
Second President John Adams said, “Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet, that did not commit suicide.”
Massachusetts Federalist Fisher Ames said, “A democracy is a volcano, which conceals the fiery materials of its own destruction. These will produce an eruption, and carry desolation in their way.”
Benjamin Rush, a Pennsylvania delegate and a signer of our Declaration of Independence, was short and sweet in his description, “A simple democracy is the devil's own government.”
While not a Founder, Noah Webster, who served in the Connecticut Militia and is considered the Father of American Scholarship an Education, put it this way, "In democracy … there are commonly tumults and disorders … Therefore a pure democracy is generally a very bad government. It is often the most tyrannical government on earth.”
It can be clearly seen that our Founders did not wish America to be a democracy. They knew where democracies end up.
Tyranny. Monarchy. And no rights for the people.
The following is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, and while he did not state this, it is an apt description: “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to have for lunch.”
Please politely correct anyone who uses the term democracy to describe our system of governance.
And, please ensure that you, your family and your friends all know our US Constitution. It is the supreme law of the land and protects us against tyranny.
There are many ways to learn and/or teach the basics. You can start by watching the award-winning In Search of Liberty Constitution movie. For more in-depth study you can enroll in a one-day Constitution Boot Camp from Building Blocks for Liberty or consider joining KrisAnne Hall's Liberty First University.
by Scott D. Welch, Patriot
Direct descendant of 8 Americans who fought in the Revolutionary War
Cousin of Patrick Henry
