Is America a Democracy?
Will Wilkinson is back. And with an excuse like this one, you know enlightenment is just around the corner:
The Sound of Silence — I hope you’ve enjoyed my experiment in meditative blog silence. If you thought I was inactive, you must have succumbed to my well-wrought illusion of stasis. More discerning readers will have noticed how each new day, my apparently unchanging page was commenting subtly — passively protesting the hectic, frantic hurly burly of the world at large. The silence takes on new overtones as its steady note interweaves with the symphony of human endeavor creating ever-shifting harmonies and dissonances. You missed it, didn’t you? Next time, listen harder.
He follows up with some fine observations about the the underdetermination of just social order by democracy — read: democracy is a genus, not a species, and it matters what kind we’re going to have in Iraq. Will it become an American-style democracy or a DPRK-style “democracy”?
Good question to be asking. It would be apropos to give Americans a lesson in democracy while we’re at it. Too many people think that democracy is the defining feature of the American system of government.
In reality, democracy is merely one of several mechanisms against tyranny, and not a particularly good one at that. (Recall that Socrates was sentenced to death by his fellow citizens.) The American system of government is not primarily a democracy, but a constitutionally limited republic — which means, our freedoms are guaranteed by a constitution, rather than by the whim of our fellow citizens. At least, in theory.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what went wrong in America, and what, if anything, the Founding Fathers could have done — or what anyone could do, ever — to prevent the monstrous government we have developed today.
Today self-serving career bureaucrats are virtually impossible to expunge from the State Department and so many other public offices. A huge portion of the nation’s productive energies are wasted on the ridiculously complex tax system, and then whatever is left over is just as likely to be spent on violating citizens’ rights as on protecting them.
Watching America’s slow slide into socialism is frightening for those of us who remember, and revere, the Founding Fathers’ original intentions. What mechanisms could they possibly have put in place to prevent this outcome?
I’m not being entirely rhetorical. I would welcome ideas, or links to well-reasoned articles on this subject.
UPDATE: Fredrik Norman has the subject (of freedom contra democracy) on his mind, too. He includes a link to a great Jerry Brito article on why democracy is no synonym of liberty.
Hi Joshua,
I don’t think we can blame the Founders for the state we’re in. They did their best — it’s their descendents who’ve screwed things up. The bigger question is: how in the hell do we extract ourselves from the hole we’re in? I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, but I’m afraid I don’t have any good answers. I do think that the truly freedom-oriented people of the world are hopelessly outnumbered, and that the energy just isn’t there to turn around the wayward ship of the American national government. That’s one reason I hold out hope for something like the Free State Project, but in my despairing moments even that seems doomed. Maybe I just need to lighten up and not worry so much, since it’s all out of my control anyway....
I think the founding fathers did forsee what has happened. It’s why good ol’ TJ said that every nation needs something of a revolution every 20 years or so. That’s also why they put a lot of care into designing the Constitution.
It might have been designed better, had TJ and BF had all the say, but they didn’t. There was strong controversy over how it should be written, and I’ve heard tales that it might never have been decided on at all had it not been for divine intervention (if you believe in that sort of thing).
I think a few things could have been stated more clearly, though that isn’t even helping anymore with some of the things that *were* stated *very, very* clearly. Like “Shall not infringe”.. I think that’s pretty clear, but isn’t to some people.
But for instance, property rights aren’t too clearly spelled out. There are some strong inferences that property rights are there, but with the exception of not forcing you to take in soldiers, and requiring a permit for searches, there’s not much else specifically laying out full, protected right to property. As a result, that’s one of the first things to go. (Zoning, EPA restrictions, drug siezures, etc.)
So I don’t think there’s much more the FF’s could have done.
Now, towards the future, I think there’s some things that can be done. My recent thoughts along these lines, however, assume some geographical circumstances that don’t really exist.
But assuming I was starting a free nation in an unpopulated area, with no indigenous peoples, there are two ways you can go. And I’m leaning towards a closed citizenship. You can live and work in the country all you want (maybe, still thinking on that part), but in order to vote, to be a citizen, you have to pass a psych test. The only people allowed to decide anything will be non-looters. If you in any way think you can get your living for free, off the backs of others, you’re not allowed to have political sway.
Such a society wouldn’t last forever, but I think it would last longer than this one has (which has, I admit, lasted a pretty long time). Eventually, looters will get through, and they’ll influence the psych tests, and then it’ll be over. But since you’re choosing the demographic, you’re also choosing who is breeding, and most of them will teach their children correctly, and those will then teach *their* children, etc., for a good, long time.
This, of course, goes a bit against my sentement that boarders should be open and free. But really, it’s about making a deal: If you want to live in our country, and decide how things go, you need to have a certain level of willingness to contribute through your mind and your labor.
It could work. Maybe
Well, before rewriting a new constitution, we need to do a few things before America becomes another Mexico or a banana republic which we already are heading that direction.
1:We need to upgrade our voting system from 19 century to 21st, and make voting online, there is no excuse not to,if Credit cards companies can transact safely online why can’t the gov. It will not only make it easy for every citizen to participate in elections and cut down on frauds but will save billions of $.
2:trem limits for congressmen and senators to 8 years.
3:getting rid of electoral college.
4:Free air time for candidates on cables, local and network TVs.
5:limiting election contributions to maximum of $100 with no loopholes.
6:Limiting the size of big Media, and media should only be run by those in media business.
Ahh, one more thing, changing citizenship laws by baring U.S born children of illegal immigrants from citizenship.
I am sure this will not only get rid of selfserving clowns and big business interests but make America more of a democracy.
about first comment.the truth is everyone shouldnt vote we need voting to be more restricted. why should people who contribute nothing to the society be able to decide things? and if this happened illegals could vote and they pay no income taxes or anything so why should they decide how the people who actually pay taxes and contribute to our economy. of course these people will want higher taxes because they bennifit cuz it makes it more of a take from the rich give to the poor kind of thing(socialism) why should people who work hard or their parents work hard be punished while people who live off welfare and jst take from the government get rewarded? and then the people who are too lazy to go to the voting poles to vote get to do you really want people who are too lazy to go vote who dont care enough to go vote to be able to decide our countrys fate? its very obvious that the lower the taxes the more our economy prospers because people have more money to spend on material things or giving to charity.
about 3rd. electoral college is a good thing its like a family if it was a democary and theres 2 parents 3 kids the parents make a rule llike idk no cookies before dinner the 3 kids think thats a stupid rule the kids could over throw the rule because it would be 2 against 3. this electoral college makes it so states have more of a say the ones with more population of course get some more votes but its not the overwhelming vote it would be. democracy would destroy us and minorities would get absolutely no say in our government
i strongly agree with your last statement