Democracy

Max Faile AP Gov 3rd block Mr. Kelly 10/18/10 The article written by Professor Skeptic has some truth to it, however his argument is largely misled. He mentions that, “The Founders feared the power of the people unleashed at the state level after the Revolution,” and they were right to do so. The founding fathers understood that a true democracy which gives all the power to the people is not a realistic way to run a country. They knew this back in 1787 when there were only thirteen states, and it would be even more unrealistic today. The major problems within the Professor's article are that the Founding Fathers intended the government to be a republic, not a democracy, the Constitution is not written “against the people,” and many events in the world today illustrate how the current form of government is sufficient enough in accounting for the will of the people. In the Pledge of Allegiance that is recited each day at school it states, “...and to the Republic for which it stands...” It is interesting that the writers of the pledge chose to use the word republic rather than democracy, and it still remains that way to this day. One of the Professor's main points is that the government was designed to give the people a “false sense of influence over the national government,” but this may not be the case. The Professor argues that the government created under the Constitution is not really a democracy, but perhaps it was never intended to be one. A true democracy gives absolute power to the majority. In Federalist 55, James Madison writes, “As there is a degree of depravity in mankind which requires a certain degree of circumspection and distrust: So there are other qualities in human nature, which justify a certain portion of esteem and confidence.” The founding fathers were not only very good leaders, they were very intelligent as well. They fully understood that human nature as a whole is not entirely good, and that for the most part people care about themselves much more than anyone else. This required the creation of a system in which the will of the majority could be maintained, as well as the basic rights of everyone upheld. They were not trying to be deceitful or create any false sense of influence, but rather simply trying to be realistic. Therefore the first problem with the argument that Professor Skeptic presents is that the government created under the Constitution was never intended to be a democracy, but something much more similar to a representative republic. In his article, Professor Skeptic writes that the Constitution established a political illusion, and does not really give the power to the people. What he does not seem to consider is the alternative to the system that is in place now. The United States is by far one of the most “democratic” countries in the world today, and the Professor still argues that the government exercises too much power over the people. A government that is run exclusively by its citizens is an extremely idealistic concept. The fact is that the people do not always know what is best for themselves. One example in history would be to take a look at what happened during the French Revolution. The citizens of France became very upset with their government, which at the time was a monarchy, and completely overthrew it. For several years after chaos ensued. There was killing throughout the country, nobody knew who they could trust, and there was no real structure that existed anywhere. It did not take long for the people to realize that they needed a ruler after all, someone who would have their best interests at heart and represent them in a way in which the best decisions were made for the benefit of everyone. The average citizen does not possess the knowledge and foresight to make these decisions. This is why the Constitution was created so that the people could elect others to do this for them. James Madison said this much more eloquently in Federalist 10 in which he wrote, “Under such a regulation it may well happen that the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves, convened for the same purpose.” The representative government is in place so that the people do not have to go and vote on every single law that is passed because, in theory, the represented would make the same decision as the rest assuming they were just as educated. The article brings up the fact that institutions such as the electoral college and the fact that sometimes a vote in one state may count more than a vote in another, and while this may very well be true, it should also be recognized that they were not put there in the intention of keeping people away from real power. A major issue that is bothersome with the Professor's argument does not deal with how effective or ineffective the governmental system is at maintaining the characteristics of a democracy, but how he says that the the government was, as it is written, “designed against the people.” The government was certainly not created against the people; the founding fathers would have been upset to hear that. A more accurate statement would be to say that the government was designed around the people. The Constitution establishes a House of Representatives, which “shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States.” (US Constitution) Their original intent was to give the people the power to have influence in governmental affairs rather than the government having complete control like the British previously held over them. The system in place today may not be perfect, but it is inaccurate to say that the government wants to keep all of the real power from the people. The American people have ample influence over the political agenda, not only through voting, but in shaping the policies of the candidates and by getting the issues of greatest concern to them addressed first. One current example is the war in Iraq. By 2008 this was a very hot topic throughout the United States, almost everyone in the country had a strong opinion of it one way or another. In that year, sixty percent of Americans opposed the continuation of the war.[1] In his presidential campaign, Barack Obama strongly opposed the war, and said that if he was elected the troops would be out of Iraq by the end of 2008.[2] Needless to say, it is now nearing the end of 2010 and there has been no such progress. This just helps prove how the American people, even Obama, cannot fully understand the complexities of certain decisions until put in the place to make them. This is why a republic was created and not a pure democracy. Another recent example pertaining to the 2008 were the economic policies of Obama, which were favorable to most Americans. Two years later, the most recent public opinion polls show that sixty one percent of people disagree that his policies have helped make the economy any better.[3] This further helps to prove how American citizens do not necessarily know what is best for them, but representatives still shape policies based on the general will. The United States as it is referred to today is predominantly known as a democracy. Compared to many countries around the world this may seem very true, but from more of a definitive standpoint it would be inaccurate to view it this way. George Washington said, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”[4] That does not sound much like a government that was intended under the Constitution to be a pure democracy as the article insists. Professor Skeptic tries to make an additional claim that the government has been created against the people. If this was the case, Americans would have no influence over any governmental policies or affairs. There is evidence every day that people have enough voice in political affairs. Otherwise politicians would never care about the public opinion, which they often morph their entire policies around. The republic of the United States, not democracy, as it is today does a sufficient job representing the will and protecting the rights of the people. --------------------------------- [ 1 ]. Page, Susan. "Opposition to Iraq War Is Divided after 5 Years - USATODAY.com." USA Today News. USA Today, 13 Mar. 2008. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. [ 2 ]. Press, Associated. "Barack Obama Candidate Platform - BostonHerald.com." Home - BostonHerald.com. 27 Dec. 2007. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. . [ 4 ]. "George Washington Quotes." Famous Quotes and Quotations at BrainyQuote. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. .