A Republic, If You Can Keep It

Many Americans throw around the word 'democracy' when describing our form of government. Rule by simple majority sounds good, but it's a bit like asking two lions and a gazelle to vote on what's for dinner. A true democracy would result in mob rule and could not last. Our founders knew that the minority must be protected from the whims of the majority. What if the majority of Americans wanted to turn the state of Kansas into a national landfill? What about the rights of the people currently residing in that state?

Instead of creating a system of government where the majority rules without consideration of the rights of the minority, the statesmen who crafted our founding documents chose a republican form of government. It is similar to a democracy, but with strict limits placed on those serving as representatives of the sovereign people and with a division of power that was supposed to have maintained a system of checks and balances. Who was placed in charge of ensuring these mechanisms work properly? We, the people, were given the sovereignty over those serving as our representatives. Most of us, though, merely vote and assume our civic duty is complete.

As Benjamin Franklin was leaving Independence Hall after the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a woman asked him, "Well, doctor, what have we got - a republic or a monarchy?" Dr. Franklin replied, "A republic, if you can keep it." We have fallen asleep at the wheel, and if we don't wake up soon and regain control, we will surely crash. We must stay vigilant! Who are the sentries among us who are watching what the government is doing? Who is paying attention here? We have not lived up to our obligations as free people. This must change if we are to survive as free people. Take a look at the following video and decide for yourself if we, the people, are in charge anymore.