June 21, 2013

The Dangers of Democracy

By Todd Keister
Democracy.  The word is nearly ubiquitous in American political discourse.  We routinely refer to our country and those modeled after our own as democracies.  We listen to speeches, read books, and profess our belief in democratic principles, democratic governments, and democratic ideals. Americans in the modern world completely fail to comprehend two important points.  The first is that America -- as organized under the Constitution -- is not a democracy.  The second is that democracy, in its pure form, is nothing more than mob rule. Most of us learned, in some vague manner, from our parents and teachers that the will of the majority should hold sway.  We vote on things like what to eat, what shows to watch, and whether to play kickball or dodgeball at recess.  Once in while, when we find ourselves on the losing end of a vote, we feel a sense of unfairness, but we don't know how to put that feeling into words. The elusive thought that escapes...(Read Full Article)