A Republic; not a Democracy
Bill # H.CON.RES.48
Original Sponsor:
Ron Paul (R-TX 14th)
Sponsor/Cosponsor Total: 4
(last sponsor added 05/15/2001)
4 Republicans
About This Legislation:
The United States is not a democracy. The U.S. is a
constitutionally limited republic and it must remain a republic if we
are to remain free. Yet few Americans understand the critical
distinction between these two incompatible forms of government.
Democracy gives the majority power to destroy your liberty and
your property. Our national constitution, by contrast, expressly
protects your liberty and your property.
Politicians and the media bombard us with the message that
America is a democracy. They attempt to equate the "will of the
people" or "popular support" with political and legal legitimacy. The
underlying message is clear: democracy is noble, the Constitution
is irrelevant.
Our country's founders cherished liberty, not democracy. The
Constitution guarantees a republican form of government; the word
"democracy" does not appear. Its authors knew that majority fervor
would threaten freedom, so they created a republic designed to
strictly limit the size and scope of government. Accordingly, the
Constitution is replete with undemocratic mechanisms. Obvious
examples are the First Amendment and the electoral college
system.