We're going to get government out of the way

[Don Houston]

First off, if everyone studied what the founders really wanted, they would soon learn that a Democracy was not it.  Our founders wanted a Republic,

Definitions from Merriam-Webster (http://www.merriam-webster.com)

Definition of DEMOCRACY
1
a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority
b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections

Definition of REPUBLIC
1
a (1) : a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president
(2) : a political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government
 b (1) : 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
(2) : a political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government

We have a republic for a reason.  Why everyone wants to call it a democracy is beyond me, but according to the founders and what they wanted, they did not ever want a democracy.  In fact, historically speaking, a Democracy has failed almost everytime it has been used

[Woody]

Aw, he'll Don I have been trying to point that out to a few of these posters for years.  I wish you the best of luck.

[Don Houston]

Well Woody, someone should try to point it out to them.  Maybe we should start by using some of there original writings?

[Woody]

Well Woody, someone should try to point it out to them.  Maybe we should start by using some of there original writings?

Been there done that. I have tried Tried federalist 10 concerning democracy and mob rule.  Still no effect. 

[Ted S]

I've made this point a few times so forgive me if I'm redundant but it is important.  Donni's last post reminds me of this quote from PJ O'Rourke:

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.

There are millions of businessmen and women in the US, many of which would like to have the government guarantee their success by granting them special favors or by punishing their competition.  But why try to control their behavior?  Isn't it easier and more proper to control the behavior of those who are actually granting the favors?

Yes, in the land of Utopia, teenagers would all be responsible and not ask their parents for a keg of beer and the family sedan and businessmen wouldn't seek special favors from politicians but we live in the real world and when the family car is a twisted pile of steel and glass we cast the scornful eye in the direction of the parent who said okay.  Why can't we take the same approach with government?  Why do we constantly blame business for simply seeking favors and give politicians a pass for actually granting them?

If we want to stomp down on crony capitalism we are going to have to limit the powers of government.  We need to forbid our politicians from granting favors.  One of the best ways would be to simplify the tax code and have everybody pay a flat rate, no exceptions.  After all, it would be a complete waste of time and money for business to lobby for a special tax loophole if politicians were forbidden to monkey with the tax code.

[donni]

i never said i want a democracy. i want what we should have -a republic which employs democracy to choose it's representatives. but this is NOT what we have anymore and maybe we never did.

money is choosing our representatives and then money manufactures 'democracy'- our consent- using their paid off puppets.

[Woody]

I have a novel idea.  Let's separate the country off into sections.  Each section, say 50 of them, elects the number of officials necessary to govern their section.  Within their section they determine their wants and needs, what they want the elected officials to do for them using the democratic process.  Then we can have a small central body that protects the 50 sections but under a document that strictly outlines what the central government can do.  Each section can send elected representatives to speak for their people.


Sounds crazy, huh?

[Don Houston]

i never said i want a democracy. i want what we should have -a republic which employs democracy to choose it's representatives. but this is NOT what we have anymore and maybe we never did.

money is choosing our representatives and then money manufactures 'democracy'- our consent- using their paid off puppets.

This is very true.  Our elected officials both at the State and the Federal levels are more worried about money than they are the people who elected them to be there