About Me
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A Passion for Freedom Part I - What is at Stake
4:27 PM | 
Posted by
TheWishPlace
As parents, there are many things in life we are passionate about - our children, our spouses, our families, etc. The political landscape of today has brought another passion to the forefront for me: Freedom.
I grew up free. I grew up knowing I had many options for my future and adult life. As a parent today, I am greatly concerned about the country in which my children are growing up.
Our freedoms are slowly and systematically being overtaken by those in power insistent on turning our country into a 'nanny state'. That is certainly not what I want. Nor, according to most polls, is it what the majority of Americans want.
In order to better understand what is at stake, it is important to understand how we, the United States of America, came to be and why we have the form of government known as a Republic.
A Republic? Yes. Many think our form of government is a Democracy, so I want to clarify the difference between the two. The chief characteristic and distinguishing feature of a Democracy is rule by Omnipotent Majority. In a Democracy, the Individual and any group of Individuals composing any Minority, have no protection against the unlimited power of the Majority. It is a case of Majority over Man. This is true whether it is a Direct Democracy or a Representative Democracy. In both types, the Majority's power is unlimited and absolute. Any decisions made by the Majority are unappealable under the legal system established to give effect to this form of government. This provides an environment for a Tyranny by Majority. This was what the Framers of the United States Constitution meant in 1787 in debates in the Federal Convention when they condemned the 'excesses of democracy' and abuses of the unalienable rights of the Individual by the Majority.
I grew up free. I grew up knowing I had many options for my future and adult life. As a parent today, I am greatly concerned about the country in which my children are growing up.
Our freedoms are slowly and systematically being overtaken by those in power insistent on turning our country into a 'nanny state'. That is certainly not what I want. Nor, according to most polls, is it what the majority of Americans want.
In order to better understand what is at stake, it is important to understand how we, the United States of America, came to be and why we have the form of government known as a Republic.
A Republic? Yes. Many think our form of government is a Democracy, so I want to clarify the difference between the two. The chief characteristic and distinguishing feature of a Democracy is rule by Omnipotent Majority. In a Democracy, the Individual and any group of Individuals composing any Minority, have no protection against the unlimited power of the Majority. It is a case of Majority over Man. This is true whether it is a Direct Democracy or a Representative Democracy. In both types, the Majority's power is unlimited and absolute. Any decisions made by the Majority are unappealable under the legal system established to give effect to this form of government. This provides an environment for a Tyranny by Majority. This was what the Framers of the United States Constitution meant in 1787 in debates in the Federal Convention when they condemned the 'excesses of democracy' and abuses of the unalienable rights of the Individual by the Majority.
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