For those of you who don’t know, we are not a strict democracy. The government of the United States was designed to be a republic. The dictionary definition of republic:
”a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law.”
In a republic, the voters select representatives who govern for them, and it is in accordance with established law. I don’t have to govern every day because I’ve got people. I voted for them and sent them off to represent me in the government, and I trust them to use their common sense and integrity to the betterment of the whole of the people.
The dictionary definition of democracy:
“government by the people ; especially : rule of the majority”
In other words, a straight democracy is rule by the mob. The majority rules. If 51% of the people want to take your stuff, you lose your stuff. The mob is subject to passions of the moment, and trusting your future and safety to the mob is a dangerous way to live.
When the Founders of our nation sorted through all the forms of government available to them for the American experiment, a democratic republic was the absolute best solution they arrived at. With the democratic principles of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, combined with the protection of the minority with equal representation, they created a system of government unheard of in the history of mankind.
This new creation of a government in the United States, partnered with a free market economic system, led to the most free and prosperous people of any nation ever recorded on earth. Liberty had come to mankind, and coupled with the responsibility of citizenship, was spread to encompass all who lived within her borders. The seeds of change were also included in this bold experiment, to become inclusive of ALL citizens, leading to sufferage for women and the civil rights conferred upon all people equally, minorities and majorities included.
This delicate balance of a representative democratic republic was protected by a few vital provisions. The number of members of the House of Representatives was to be determined by the population within a state, providing a direct reflection of the populous. Each state was given two senators, and those senators were chosen and appointed by each state’s legislature, not elected.
The protection to the people was that they directly elected their house representativeds and their state legislature and so had a say in what sort of representation that state would have in both the house and the senate. In 1913, the 17th amendment to the Constitution gave the people of each state the right to vote directly for their senators. It was a step away from the original protections of a republic and toward the mob.
In selecting the President, each state was given a certain number of electors, determined by their population, which would be awarded based on the outcome of the vote within that state. This was yet another protective measure for the smaller states, that their votes would count toward the candidate of their choice. The state legislature was entrusted with determining the manner in which the electors were assigned. Some states opted for a winner-take-all assignment, while others split their electors based on the percentage of the vote recieved. In each system, the individual states would assign their electoral votes in response to the vote of the people OF THAT STATE.
Today there is a movement to abolish the Electoral College. Some claim that it is antiquated and no longer serves its purpose. They advocate that the direct majority should determine the outcome of the national elections. They call this winning by the popular vote. Whichever candidate garners a higher number of votes nationally is the winner.
This straight popular-vote determination disenfranchises the voters of smaller states with lower populations. It removes the protections they have from the tyranny of the majority by negating their votes in favor of larger, more populous states. It is a huge step toward the rule by the mob, or a straight democracy.
In Nevada, our legislature just passed AB413, which will award Nevada’s electors to whichever candidate wins the national popular vote. What this means is that even if every citizen in Nevada chose candidate X, but candidate Y got more in the national popular vote, then NOT ONE of Nevada’s electors would go to it’s chosen candidate. This is a travesty of our system of government, and disenfranchises the voters of Nevada.
Now, the President of the United States only has to curry favor with the most populous states and can ignore the smaller states. If a small state wanted to send a message to a popular President by voting for his opponent, they could be dismissed as irrelevant, because enough other states will carry the victory. With this new legislation, the vote of the people in a small state will not even register, as the electors are awarded to the national popular vote.
It is taking the right of the voters of the State of Nevada to have their votes counted in favor of what OTHER states do. This is an appalling lack of representation of the Nevada State Legislature on behalf of the voters of Nevada. They have created a situation where others states can ignore the vote of Nevadans. HOW is this in the best interest of the voters of Nevada? In what way do Nevada citizens benefit from giving their votes away to the national mob?
I’ve yet to hear a plausible explanation from the legislature. I also noticed that it passed down a straight party vote, with every single Democrat voting for the measure, and every single Republican voting against. Surprising, actually, I thought that Nevada Republicans had slipped into a coma. Maybe some limited-government principles DO still exist in the Battle-Born State. Sadly, not enough. And even more sadly, not enough Nevada citizens will even understand what they are losing, or why it matters.
The march toward the mob continues, to the tune of democracy. It all sounds warm and fuzzy, until you find yourself in the minority, and the majority has just decided they want your stuff.
I’m just sayin………
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