Democracy, right?

What kind of country do we live in? The long answer is that the United States is a Federal Constitutional Democratic Republic. What does that mean? For starters, we are a democratic nation. The word comes from the Greek meaning “rule by the people.” We the People have the final say in how the country is run. Ultimately, the power of our government is derived from the consent of the governed.

But we do not have a direct say most of the time; we are a republic. We elect representatives to manage the affairs of state. This has a twofold function. First, it allows economic specialization so that only some people should have to deal with the full-time problem of managing public affairs. The rest of us can pursue the real business of going to work every day producing goods, offering services, educating, defending, raising children, growing food, etc. Second, by appointing representatives we attempt to make the state less fickle. Representatives can stand their ground against the opinion of the day, so long as their overall performance is in keeping with the long-term values and attitudes of the People.

The government is also Federal, as so eloquently argued in the Federalist Papers (which every American should read at least once in High School, and then re-read as an adult). Federalism is an idea of a stratified government, where we try to solve issues at the lowest possible level. It allows for a patchwork quilt of laws tailored to fit the varied communities across the country, while at the same time guaranteeing to everyone their God-given Rights (life, liberty, property) and the means to maintain them (the Bill of Rights).

Lastly and importantly, the United States government is Constitutional. It is not “mob rule, where 51 percent of the people may take away the rights of the other 49” as Jefferson described pure Democracy. Instead it's scope is limited to the powers necessary to ensure the Rights of the People and resolve disputes between the States.

Somewhere along the way we lost sight of the original purpose of government. We had established a government to ensure we could all live together without the threat of force depriving us of our life or livelihood. But now there are those who believe we must change government into a tool of force specifically designed to deprive some and benefit others. That is not the United States envisioned by the Founders and it is not the United States I want to leave my children.