Why American government still stands after 250 years.We are not a democracy, but a Constitutional Republic.By Charles J. Faul – LOW Republican Club
Have you noticed that almost every Communist country has the word ‘Democratic’ in their names? German Democratic Republic (East Germany); North Korea, officially the Democratic People's totalitarian states, with the communist party members calling all the shots. Their people are not free and not democratic. Here in America we have real freedoms and a voice in who will represent us and lead us. A pure democracy is, in it’s simplest form is whatever the majority of voters decide is the law. It has no regard for the democracy minority who did not support the vote. There is absolute power to the winners, and no rights for the losers. Only the good or evil inventions of the winners determine what happens to the people. We know from history the outcomes. In the 1930’s Germany went from a struggling post World War I parliamentary democracy to the dictatorship of Adolph Hitler, persecution of all opponents of the state and the planned extermination of an entire ethnic group, the Jewish people. Hitler had no moral restraints nor any checks on his power. He started World War II and along with Japan, cost the lives of 10’s of million of people, and devastated wide area’s of the world, all started by a ‘democratic elections in the 1930’s. One election won by a group with no restraints resulted in world wide misery and millions of lives lost, and the loss of freedom for millions more.
Similar events have transpired since. Nicaragua under the Ortega brothers, Venezuela under Ceasar Chavez, any number of African nations which achieved independence in the mid Twentieth Century had one election and the winners declared themselves presidents-for-life and installed various forms of dictatorships, including full blown Communist governments. Opposition was suppressed, opponents jailed and executed, property seized, businesses and farms seized. Northern Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, the nation that was the breadbasket for Africa was turned into a destroyer of productive farms and the economy and human lives. All of this destruction and human misery because of the pretense of ‘Democracy without proper protections for the people or proper restraints against government tyranny. When you hear demagogues talk about ‘democracy’ while wanting to dismantle our constitutional republic, beware.
PART II
Understanding the nature of man
Our founders looked at the nations of the world and saw what worked and did not work. The natural inclinations of people is not always towards doing good. Left to our own devices we will often do as little as possible and still expect to benefit from the labor of others. The Apostle Paul writes to the Thessalonian church, “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat”. We all need incentives and restraints. The founders, especially James Madison, understood this. Today many are told that man is basically good, but God and human history say different. Humans are born selfish. As cute as babies may be they are selfish creatures. They demand to be fed, bathed, clothed and held. There is nothing unnatural about this, it is just their nature. As we grow our parents have a duty to teach us and train us to be less selfish and be responsible for ourselves.
Consider the first settlers. The course for our government was launched by the Pilgrims in 1620. After a failed harvest in1621, the leaders in the Plymouth Colony saw the flaw in their plan. They formed a Collective where all would share equally the proceeds of the labor of the people. But what happened was not equal effort, some resented producing much and getting little while others produced less and were getting the same rewards. They changed that in 1622 and allowed these who produced more to keep more of what they produced. From Socialism to Capitalism.
Contrast that with "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" (Karl Marx in his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Programme.) The principle refers to free access to goods and services.[3] In the Marxist view, such an arrangement will be made possible by the abundance of goods and services that a developed communist system will be capable to produce; the idea is that, with the full development of socialism and unfettered productive forces, there will be enough to satisfy everyone's needs.
History tells us what the results of Marxist/Socialism in every nation that implemented it. Human nature has not changed. When I work hard to produce, and I have to give up much of what I earn to people who take advantage of me and take what I produce for themselves. We will simply not work as hard since we all get the same at the end. Productivity drops and we all get poorer. The Utopian panacea crumbles and we all suffer. True equality, everyone loses. Our liberty is lost for a flawed ideology. The commune in the woods of Vermont goes to ruin.
Part III
Why America is the shining city on a hill, a beacon of hope for the world.
Jefferson laid out our core principles in the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The Continental Congress wrestled with the details of governing during and after the war of independence. They started with the Articles of Confederation. It failed to be a workable governing plan for the 13 colonies. The weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that Congress was not strong enough to enforce laws or raise taxes, making it difficult for the new nation to repay its debts from the Revolutionary War. The Articles were dependent on the colonies having 9 or the 13 states agreeing on each proposal, with the leader changing every year, It was unworkable and unsafe. There was no executive and no judiciary, two of the three branches of government we have today to act as a system of checks and balances.
Alexander Hamilton realized while serving as Washington's top aide that a strong central government was necessary to avoid foreign intervention and allay the frustrations due to an ineffectual Congress. Hamilton led a group of like-minded nationalists, won Washington's endorsement, and convened the Annapolis Convention in 1786 to petition Congress to call a constitutional convention to meet in Philadelphia to remedy the long-term crisis.[40] The idea of a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation grew in favor. Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay led the efforts to draft the United States constitution.
Influenced by English common law and the Enlightenment liberalism of philosophers like John Locke and Montesquieu, the Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, in which the federal government is divided into three branches (see Federalist Paper 51)
The result was three branches of government, each with defined powers, The legislative, bicameral Congress;[d] the executive, led by the president;[e] and the judiciary, within which the Supreme Court has apex jurisdiction.[f] Articles IV, V, and VI embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states in relationship to the federal government, and the process of Constitutional amendment. Article VII establishes the procedure used to ratify the constitution.
Our founders sought guidance from many sources, but always acknowledging Almighty God whose providential hand was evident from Bunker Hill, the miraculous evacuation of Washington’s army from Long Island, to the testing at Valley Forge, the surprise victory at Trenton and throughout the war.
Also evident was their knowledge of human nature, and the ‘depravity of man’. Man without God or restraints will be governed by his passions, greed, lust, anger, jealousy etc. The Revolutionary war was preceded by the Great Awaking, a period of spiritual revival that prepared the colonies to desire liberty and despise tyranny. Free from our sins so we can freely give of ourselves to the greater cause,
James Madison was not convinced the Constitution as drafted and approved was adequate to protect the rights of it’s citizens. Thus, the Bill of Rights was written, and then approved and added to the constitution.
The first amendment guarantees freedom of religion (no laws respecting an establishment of religion), no laws abridging freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
The second amendment guarantees the citizens to keep and bear arms. The second amendment helps guarantee the freedoms written in the first.
James Madison quotes: Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.
The remainder of the Bill of Rights are protections for the people against the overreach of an authoritarian government. In a free society the people need to be protected from the government. As Ronald Reagan famously said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help."
James Madison was right.
Part IV The Bill of Rights
By Charles J. Faul
James Madison was not convinced the Constitution as drafted and approved was adequate to protect the rights of it’s citizens. Thus the Bill of Rights was written, and then approved and added to the constitution.
The first amendment guarantees freedom of religion (no laws respecting an establishment of religion), no laws abridging freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
The second amendment guarantees the citizens to keep and bear arms. The second amendment helps guarantee the freedoms written in the first.
James Madison quotes: Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.
The third amendment protects us from being forced to house soldiers without our permission. Historically, governments forced people to quarter soldiers, house, feed and provide for them. The fourth protects us from unreasonable search and seizure without probable cause and a warrant outlining the parameters of the search. The fifth protect us from self-incrimination. The sixth and seventh guarantees a speedy trial and an impartial jury and the right to have a jury trial. The eight protects us against cruel and unusual punishment and excessive bail. The ninth prohibits federal courts from creating new government powers through their own whims. The tenth gives the states powers not specifically written in the U.S. Constitution.
The Bill of Rights is unique – it protects our citizens and guarantees our liberties by law. Look at Canada, Great Britian, Australia where the freedoms are being lost every day. Three cheers for Orange County’s own James Madison.