![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Public Service Announcement
Sep. 21st, 2008 01:19 pm(that I wish someone would put on national TV)
In spite of all the talk about democracy, the USA was designed from the beginning as a Republic. Not as a democracy.
Why? Because the founding fathers had far too many examples from history of how democracy always became tryanies of the majority. Places where 50% plus one of the population could oppress the rest of the population. And the next day/week/month a different grouping that adds to 50% plus one would go after many of those who'd voted for the first oppression. History, not theory. What has happened time and again, not some "oh this might happe" but what has happened time and time again for millennia.
That's why we had the Bill of Rights. To set forth things that cannot be done even if the majority wants to.
That's why judges can rule that measures passed by a majority of the voters are unconstitutional.
And we elect representatives, senators, members of the House, president, governors, state legislators, etc.
We are supposed to be choosing people who are wisers than we are. Who can make better decisions. People we trust to look into things and make the right decision even if it isn't what we, the voters, would like because they know that we'd like the results of deciding another way even less.
Yet what do we see? We see candidates being raked over the coals for being "elitist". Heck, we see thinly veiled attacks because they are smarter or better informed than the average voter.
Such things are not merely slimy campaign tactics. They are direct attacks on the very *essence of representative government
Our representatives *should* be smarter and better educated than the average person. Because it is their responsibility to make decisions that affectr all of us. And you don't select stupid or poorly educated people to make critical decisions.
Any time you see a candidate trying to make light of the fact that they or their running mate got facts wrong or didn't know something important, that should tell you that they are not fit for any office. They should apolgize for the mistake, not make excuses. Because in office, if they make that sort of mistake *we* are the ones who will pay for it.
In spite of all the talk about democracy, the USA was designed from the beginning as a Republic. Not as a democracy.
Why? Because the founding fathers had far too many examples from history of how democracy always became tryanies of the majority. Places where 50% plus one of the population could oppress the rest of the population. And the next day/week/month a different grouping that adds to 50% plus one would go after many of those who'd voted for the first oppression. History, not theory. What has happened time and again, not some "oh this might happe" but what has happened time and time again for millennia.
That's why we had the Bill of Rights. To set forth things that cannot be done even if the majority wants to.
That's why judges can rule that measures passed by a majority of the voters are unconstitutional.
And we elect representatives, senators, members of the House, president, governors, state legislators, etc.
We are supposed to be choosing people who are wisers than we are. Who can make better decisions. People we trust to look into things and make the right decision even if it isn't what we, the voters, would like because they know that we'd like the results of deciding another way even less.
Yet what do we see? We see candidates being raked over the coals for being "elitist". Heck, we see thinly veiled attacks because they are smarter or better informed than the average voter.
Such things are not merely slimy campaign tactics. They are direct attacks on the very *essence of representative government
Our representatives *should* be smarter and better educated than the average person. Because it is their responsibility to make decisions that affectr all of us. And you don't select stupid or poorly educated people to make critical decisions.
Any time you see a candidate trying to make light of the fact that they or their running mate got facts wrong or didn't know something important, that should tell you that they are not fit for any office. They should apolgize for the mistake, not make excuses. Because in office, if they make that sort of mistake *we* are the ones who will pay for it.
