My letter is in response to a recent letter published in the Post Independent on July 4; the date the author marks as \u201cthe anniversary of the birth of our nation founded on an unprecedented form of democracy.\u201d The letter continues with \u201cOur independence as a democratic nation\u2026\u201d and \u201cthis collective form of democracy.\u201d Democratic leaders of today, however, believe our founding Constitution is actually anti-democratic and they now demand the Electoral College be eliminated.<\/p>\n
During preliminary debates on the forms of government our nation should pursue, the founders overwhelmingly rejected democracy. The word \u201cdemocracy\u201d is found on only 40 pages of the 1,400 pages of a collection of the founder\u2019s political writings from 1760 through 1850. In their study of history, they believed democracy would eventually lead to mob rule. They believed a Republican form of government with a stable Constitution would guarantee our citizens \u201cunalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fisher Ames, a congressman in the first Congress of 1789, in one sentence clearly says it all: \u201cThe great object, then of political wisdom in framing the constitution, was to guard against licentiousness, that inbred malady of democracies.\u201d For my personal benefit, synonyms of \u201clicentiousness\u201d are anarchy, disorder, irresponsibility and self-indulgence.<\/p>\n
The word \u201cdemocracy\u201d is obviously not found in our founding documents, including the U. S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Amendments to the Constitution. The Constitution mandates: \u201cThe United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government.\u201d Alexander Hamilton said: \u201cReal liberty is never found in \u2026 the extremes of Democracy.\u201d John Adams said there was never a democracy that \u201cdid not commit suicide.\u201d Benjamin Franklin defined democracy as \u201ctwo wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Floyd Diemoz,
Glenwood Springs<\/p>\n