Democracy or liberty
As midterm elections approach, we hear it constantly: “Our democracy is at stake.” Demonstrators march as though democracy itself were the fundamental principle upon which America was founded.
But consider something remarkable: The word democracy appears exactly zero times in the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Zero.
Liberty, however, is another matter. The Declaration proclaims our unalienable rights, including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Constitution was established in part to “secure the Blessings of Liberty.” The Bill of Rights places explicit limits on what government may do to the individual.
The Founders believed in representative government and consent of the governed. But they also understood that majority rule alone does not guarantee freedom. A majority can vote to take away the liberty of a minority, or of a single individual.
That is why they created a constitutional republic, with divided powers, checks and balances, and individual rights that even electoral majorities are not supposed to violate.
That distinction matters as alternatives such as democratic socialism, Marxism and communism again enter our political mindset. History should make us cautious of systems that concentrate economic and political power in collective or governmental hands.
America’s warmth has never been found in a collective; it has always been found in the love and respect that individual Americans have for one another.
Before voting, listen to candidates, regardless of party, for the word liberty. Would the policies they support leave you more free to speak, work, own a business and property, and pursue happiness? Or would they give government greater authority to make those choices for you?
Democracy is how we choose those who govern. Liberty is the constitutional protection that prevents government from taking those freedoms away.