As James Madison stated, “whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country and whose patriotism and love of justice will be least likely to sacrifice it to temporary or partial consideration.”[viii] They understood that the unruly masses responsible for the Boston Tea Party could spark a revolution[ix], however the frenzied approach would not serve well as a functional government. They understood that “democratic governing is not the same as democratic discourse”[x]. Boucher was correct, absolute democracy is not practical. This is why a representative democracy, where all voices are heard, but where decisions are made rationally, reflecting the views of the general public, is a logical solution for a functional government representing the will of the people. A representative democracy is a form of democracy whose foundation is built on common sense.
Conversely, Kennedy delivered his purpose more ethically than Romney. Kennedy’s purpose seemed similar to a declaration whereas Romney’s purpose seemed similar to a sermon. For example, Kennedy declares “[s]o it is apparently necessary for me to state again not what kind of church I believe in – for that should be important only to me – but what kind of America I believe in” (1). Kennedy is deliberately stating that his purpose is to create a better America and that his religious views will not influence his decisions as the president. Kennedy is being ethical by promoting a better society, whereas Romney is promoting his own religious perspective.
Web. 7 Mar. 2011< http://ocdc.osu.edu> Bumgardner, Larry. Reforming Corporate America. Pepperdine University, Aug. 2002.
If our founding fathers intened the Constitution to establish a republic government, why are we so quick to respond that our government is a democracy? Does our misunderdstanding of these two terms make citizens believe that we are entitled, by the supreme law of the land, our Constitution, to make decisions and write legislation ourselves instead of allowing our elected representatives to act on our behalf? Should the Constitution be ammended to allow for a national voting referendum such as many states have adopted? In the paragraphs below I will discuss and define some key points that will give a broader persepective on the benefits and limitations of direct democracy. To start, we must clearly define the difference between a republic and a demcoracy.
Literature Resource Center. Gale. Trident Technical College. Web. 26 Oct. 2009 Thornton, Jerome E.
The Disdain of Total Equality Total equality may seem fair and justifiable in the eyes of some people, but in many cases it turns out to be little more than a form of oppression, in which a group of people limit the abilities of others. Throughout the story Vonnegut speaks of this necessity for equality and the means that the government goes to achieve it by using devices called ‘handicaps’; one example of this is George’s earpiece, “A buzzer sounded in George’s head. His thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm.” Vonnegut’s simile here creates a sort of loud diction, which expresses the sheer discomfort invoked by these restraints on the person wearing them. The governing body in this society views this as the solution to a problem, one that happens to be relatively impossible to solve, this is how Vonnegut incorporates satire into his story. He is poking fun at the age old concept of ‘equality,’ one that has inspired wars and movements alike; he accomplishes this by creating a system to make everyone equal, a system that happens to be just as stupid as the idea of ‘total equality.’ Under this system equality is achieved, but it is at the cost of individual freedom and a society full of stupid people, this in-turn creates the situational irony found in the story.
They were not inventing anything new but reclaiming something ancient. This is why governments tend to fall apart, because people often want to come together freely and be themselves, rather then fit a mold that is presented for them. Hobbes foretold that it was a human condition that war fought by each against each, making it hard for anything good to come out of it, or learn
Edmund Burke believed that the French Revolution was pointless, and that the revolutionist had risen up against a relatively liberal king and that their actions would result in other kings becoming paranoid and tyrannical. Alexis de Tocqueville saw that democracy in America seemed disorganized, but he also gained a sense that it was a stable and prosperous democracy so that he can gain an insight into how it worked. Tocqueville studies show that democratic America, mostly focuses on the structure of government and the institutions that would help maintain a free America, his focus on individuals however led him to say that individuals were affected by the democratic mentality. Tocqueville’s work finds that the main problems of a democracy are a high portion of power in the legislative
Voltaire shows how Candide slowly realizes this logic when he encounters constant conflict and disaster after leaving the Baron’s castle and his old “perfect world”. Candide sees how almost everyone in this world acts selfishly only to reap benefits for themselves and take away from their fellow humanity. Some people probably think that Voltaire may come off as a pessimistic, but he really is just trying to show how foolish optimistic people and corrupt religion can be when you live in a world that constantly challenges you and makes you suffer so much. Essentially Voltaire is trying to tell us that the happiness of humanity is impossible, because the only “real” life is the life where you endure good things and bad things and not the life where you live in the best of all worlds and have no problems and everything is handed to
The democratic system found in the United States is heavily slanted to the majority; their convictions are often implemented in legislation and used as the standard by which things are measured. Henry David Thoreau argues in “Civil Disobedience” that majorities are not right simply by virtue of being the majority. Thoreau clearly favors the individual and his convictions when he claims that “if a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man” (Thoreau). As Thoreau’s claims idealize the individual they also diminish the role of the government. Similar progressions can be found in Antigone, penned by Sophocles centuries earlier.