Many of you will be surprised to find that the good ol' US of A is not a democracy. It's a representative republic and it's right in the constitution. Like the misunderstood Electoral College and the maligned right to bear arms, our founding fathers did this for a reason.
The people without the filter of a representative would be able to use their numbers to abuse the rights of the minority. In fact, this happens to a degree now whenever someone cries "tax the rich," never mind that the truly rich have a myriad of ways of avoiding the tax man.
The founding fathers were big believers in minority rights. The right to bear arms gives the populace at least a theoretical chance against oppression by the government. The Electoral College keep New York and California from dominating the other 48.
So I always get a little concerned when there's talk of spreading democracy around the globe. A constitutional republic is a better ticket, IMO.
1 comment:
Good points, Lightning Man, but I note that our form of representative democracy didn't prevent the abuse of many minorities for a considerable period of time and that a direct democracy, like the Athenian, is capable of preserving a respect for personal liberties and the rule of law. Perhaps beliefs and customs play a role equal to that of the mechanisms of government. By the way, where are the pulchritudinous females you promised? :)
-Mr. Radical Evil
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