Are we a republic or a democracy?

Column dated 05 January 2005

This question is one that we rarely think about, or remember the answer to. We are, or course, a liberal constitutional republic -- not a democracy. But why is this important? It is because, as Walter E. Williams puts it, the Founding Fathers "saw democracy as another form of tyranny." This is most certainly true. In a democracy, wolves and sheep get to vote on what gets eaten for dinner. In a liberal constitutional republic, the eating of sheep is against the Constitution, and the sheep have guns. I highly recommend any column by Professor Williams and this one is of particular import since it strikes to the heart of the matter of whether it is we who serve the government, or the government who serves us. Which situation would you rather have?

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 2:40 PM

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