Future Holds For A True Democracy example essay topic

A conversion of our governmental system to an Athenian model would be not only foolish but potentially dangerous to the future of our country as well. It has been suggested that the representative form of government was chosen because of the logistical problems of counting votes in an era with no computers or FedEx. However, in doing research and listening to the biographies of several men present at the Philadelphia convention, it seems clear that the decision was reached with great thought and wisdom. One advantage of electing an individual to represent a large group of people (and hence several socio-economic groups) is that the representative is beholden to the entire body. Because the representative depends upon the approval of a majority for his continuation in office it is difficult for him / her to favor one faction to the detriment of the others without risk of losing his position. In this way equilibrium is attained in which no group completely dominates another and no minority voice is unheard.

It is a credit to the wisdom of the founders that they were able to devise a system which not only accounts for the selfish nature of a man but uses that ambition to its favor! In contrast, within a democracy the individual owes allegiance only to his own self-interests and beliefs. While many of us purport ourselves to be persons of integrity and fully aware of our civic responsibilities, we seldom hold such lofty opinions of our neighbors. In a country where the poor and middle-class far outnumber the wealthy who would protect the rights of the upper-class? Who would protect the rights of Jews and Muslims to worship in their Synagogues and Mosques? At a time when factions change with the tides, how can the rights of any minority be protected from the whim of the majority?

It is interesting to note that we are all, in some way, a minority - it just depends on how you slice the pie. In 1838 James Fenimore Cooper wrote, "It is a besetting vice of democracies to substitute public opinion for law. This is the usual form in which masses of men exhibit their tyranny". This seems eerily akin to the. ".. tyranny of the masses" which Greek philosophers warned of over 2000 years earlier.

It is similarly disquieting to realize that none of the democracies of ancient times still exists. Let us suspend distrust in the motives of our fellow man and suppose for the moment that we will all act (read: vote) in the best interests of the whole of society. Even were this improbable suspension of belief possible, pure democracy would still face formidable challenges, chief among these being a massive amount of legislation. A cursory review of the 107th Congress web site reveals a mind-numbing workload of 329 Resolutions, 298 Concurrent Resolutions, 81 Joint Resolutions, 3610 Bills, and 414 Amendments facing the House of Representatives alone! In our current system we elect representatives with the expectation that they will acquire a fundamental understanding of the issues facing the nation and so be able to make informed legislative decisions. The only way they are able to perform their duty is by working full-time and hiring a staff to assist them in understanding and responding to the issues.

In contrast, a direct democracy would require that each voter obtain a similar level of understanding so that he / she could likewise make prudent choices. Reality tells us that few citizens have the benefit of a staff and even fewer the means to contemplate politics on a full-time basis. Finally, the issue, which was pushed to the fore of the American conscious on Sept. 11, 2001 - national security. In a "true" democracy, national security would be virtually impossible to enforce.

How would the citizenry be able to engage in honest debate over issues involving, for example, intelligence operations or defense capabilities without endangering the very mechanisms put in place to protect them? Representative systems minimize this liability by limiting the number of people involved in discussions of such sensitive topics. The result is a much higher level of accountability and security as the source of a breach is easier to discover. Legislative overload, national security, and the power-grabbing nature of man are all good reasons to continue with the form of government the founding fathers laid out for us. The failed democracies of ancient Greece and Rome provided compelling evidence of what the future holds for a true democracy. As John Adams said, "Remember, democracy never lasts long.

It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.".