We Live in a Republic, Not a Democracy
By Jim Willis on Nov 8, 2007 in Elections, Government & Politics, Mayor Matt Ryan, Society & Culture | Printable Version
The American form of government was uniquely crafted as a representative republic. Some would say a democratic republic (small “d”). We were not founded as a mob rule democracy, contrary to the beliefs and ignorance of many voters in Binghamton. One person stated in a Press & Sun-Bulletin story chat with reference to those of us bemoaning Tuesday’s election results:
What the anti-ryan crowd doesn’t get is that the people have spoken and voted. Stamp your little feet all you want but people wanted a change. it is called democracy–get used to it.
This was my response:
A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.
- Sir Alex Fraser Tytler (sometimes called Alexander Tyler), Scottish jurist and historian, professor of Universal History at Edinburgh University.
The quote above was uttered or written sometime around 1787, about the time of the U.S. Constitutional Convention. The exact circumstances of the quote are lost to history, but it’s blazing insight is still more relevant than ever.
Technorati Tags: Binghamton, election, democracy, republic, Sir Alex Tytler, Mayor Matt Ryan
Pastor Kipp | Nov 10, 2007 | Reply
Great article — You sound just like your granddaddy. He was a fantastic PATRIOT – one of a kind. He sure got upset by those who didn’t know that we are a Republic, not a Democracy.
Keep up the good work — and, thanks for letting me know about your blog.
Jim Willis | Nov 11, 2007 | Reply
Thanks for your kind words Pastor Kipp! It seems all those PACE’s had a positive effect on me.