The Constitution purposely kept the power of the people away from the levers of government. They split apart the federal power into the legislative, executive and judicial branches, each branch designed to control the power of the other branches. The Founders did not rely on the government to control government power. They split it apart so there would be no supreme power.
Neither the President, the judges nor the Senate were elected by direct popular vote. That’s anti-democratic for certain. Only the members of the House of Representatives were directly elected by the votes of the male citizens. Remember, women were not permitted to vote by the Founders. Neither were children or slaves.
What kind of government did the Founders establish? It still has no name. It’s “The Controlled and Limited Rule by Written Laws”. There’s no word for it. It’s neither a Democracy nor a Republic. A Republic is a group of States but a group of states is not a mark of a Democracy. Nor is a Democracy synonymous with a group of states. The American Democracy refers to the method of appointing lawmakers. The American Republic refers to the group of 50 states. America is often referred to as a Democratic Republic but there is no official document that makes it so. There is no law that establishes America as “A Democratic Republic”. See the first paragraph above. Not a Democracy. Not a Republic. Not a Democratic Republic. Democracy is a process, a Republic is a thing. Neither is a government. Nor are both together a government because a process and a thing don’t mix.
There are millions of America government officials who are not elected but appointed. That proves America is not a Democracy. The people are left out of government. Government is in control of the people but the people are not in control of the government.
A further set of confusions is found in a book by Professor Danielle Allen. “Our Declaration”. She attempts to make the Declaration a document for everyone when it’s clearly a notice breaking the political connection to the British Crown. The Declaration of Independence did not create a government. It eliminated one. It neither describes nor empowers a new government for he 13 colonies. the Constitution did that and it came after the Revolutionary War was won.
The Declaration’s purpose, which it served well, broke the connection of England with the 13 colonies. Professor Allen attempts but fails to prove the Declaration was a democratically written document. She thinks the work of a committee means some kind of democracy created the Declaration but that’s wrong. Jefferson wrote the draft and even though waves of committee’s reviewed it and slightly modified it, it was first written by Jefferson. Allen however gets the document itself confused with the originator of document. Jefferson wrote the First Draft. He wrote it himself with reference to no book or document of any kind. He was 33 years old. Several Committee’s met to review it, change it and eventually sign it. It’s not about Equality nor Democracy. It’s purpose was to revoke England’s claim that it owned the Colonies. As a document of revocation, it’s a Document Of Destruction.
Here are the destructive words. They are in the last paragraph of the Declaration: “These United Colonies…. are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved” That did not declare the colonies were the enemies of England. England declared the colonies to be enemies of England for taking from England what England believed to belong to England.
Dr. Allen believes the Declaration was a document that declared all people to be equal because it says: “all men are created equal” but that wasn’t the purpose of the Declaration. Whether or not people are equal is unimportant to the purpose of taking away the property of England. The Declaration in effect said the people of the colonies, equal and unequal alike were fed up with the oppression of England. The Declaration was not a Declaration that provided proof each person was the same as every other person. That never was true and it’s still not true. Dr. Allen also believes the Declaration belongs to everyone. She calls it: “Our Declaration” but saying so doesn’t make it so. Neither was the Declaration a declaration of Democracy.
America is ruled from Washington D.C. by the President and Congress, not by the people. The people have nothing to say about their government. There is no mechanism, official or un-official to provide input by the people outside of government to those inside. You can send all the letters, e-mails and tweets to the people in power but they do not have to even read them. The government is run by those in government. Those people are different than those who are run by government. Think about that and compare it with what you were told by others. You do not have any of the power of government, just like the people during the time of British rule. If you want to change it, they showed one way. Write up a Declaration like the Founders did and then like them you best prepare for war.
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