If they don’t nip this in the bud, what’s next? Children thinking for themselves? [shudder]
This week, a spokeswoman for Utah’s Republic, a group that advocates for a strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, asked the Alpine Board of Education to scrap its democracy-centered mission statement. The issue has sparked a dust-up over the past month, garnering petition signatures from hundreds of Alpine parents and a rebuke of the school board by the Provo Daily Herald’s editorial board.
Alpine’s mission statement is “Educating all students to ensure the future of our democracy.”
But this nation is a republic, not a democracy, said Oak Norton, a Highland father of five and the founder of Utah’s Republic. The Constitution guarantees every state a “republican form of government.” “Karl Marx said, ‘Democracy is the road to socialism,’ ” Norton said. A true democracy, he said, relies solely on majority rule and inevitably devolves into anarchy, which then sprouts socialist dictators.
[...]
Susan Schnell, a Highland mother of five, became alarmed when she visited the district’s professional development center and saw the phrase “Enculturating the young into a social and political democracy.”
[...]
Schnell also found a link from the school district’s mission statement online to an essay, “America: Republic or Democracy?” that she found offensive. She sent an e-mail to other parents and many of them protested the essay, which refers to the nation’s founders as “predatory elite” who chose the republic form of government to maintain control over slaves and those with less socioeconomic clout.Parents also were troubled by other works by the essay’s author, William P. Meyers, including “Vampires or Gods,” a satire about the possibility that Jesus and other deities were really vampires.
#- FTA — Norton said. A true democracy, he said, relies solely on majority rule and inevitably devolves into anarchy, which then sprouts socialist dictators.
A majority rule leads to socialism. Rule for the common good.
After governments collapse, then anarchy sets in. This is using anarchy to mean chaos. But after a government collapse, people would have to be self governing until a new government is established. This is the main meaning of anarchy.
Politics tends to shred the dictionary.
Obviously we are not a Democracy. No accountability or sensitivity to the common man coming from Congress.
“Democracy = the people – through representatives or otherwise – decide on the political agenda, rather than a single person or group with no accountability or sensitivity towards the common man.”
There is a difference between no laws, a lot of laws, and a reasonable middle ground. That middle ground between anarchy and totalitarianism has a lot of space to stand. Both Democrats and Republicans stand in the middle ground. Republicans stand between anarchy and Democrats. Democrats stand between totalitarianism and Republicans. Too many laws are just as bad as too few laws for guaranteeing personal rights. (Patriot Act anyone?) It is just hard to agree on what the correct amount of laws are for this purpose or who should make the laws: states vs the federal government.
#18 Glenn said, “A Republic is a nation governed by laws. And yet most US Republicans state they want few laws. Few regulations, and less government oversight (State or Federal). Thus more anarchy and more of what what would be termed a pure democracy. Rule by the majority. Thus nobody would have any guaranteed rights, or any laws protecting them. “
Pfft, it’s too tough for American kids anyhow. I say let it be whatever the hell it’s going to be! Kinda like Texas, let those people do what they want!
#11 You’re completely right that the very ideas of political parties might be bad (many of the founding fathers worried about that). And our government may favor big money industry lobbyist more than the people, but that’s not here nor there as far as the original point. Democracy doesn’t mean communism or socialism like this retarded right wing nut thinks. Democracy just means the PEOPLE, not royalty, ultimately (supposedly) control things. That’s GOOD, that’s what our founding fathers ALL wanted (except black people weren’t people then and weren’t part of the Democracy, but that’s another issue).
My first “real” exposure to “Republican” thinking was the plays of Shakespeare with Roman Nobles yearning for a return to “The Republic” meaning a nation of laws and not of Emperors or Dictatorships.
And so it is today according to the wiki: The most common definition of a republic is a state without a monarch.
Brush up on your Shakespeare.
these people need to get out more often.
Republic is used by many, if not most, Communist countries in their names.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Republic
Has Utah become its own planet? It sure feels like the folks there are aliens in more ways than one.
#4
Said by someone that does not know WTF they are saying. Only in wacky CA, do the people vote on government action (yes the ironically named “Republic” of CA). Even in the most pure form of republic, the leaders are elected and only rarely appointed.Those that say we are both a Democracy and a Republic have become so accustomed to the two terms being intermingled that the do not understand the root difference. You the voter do not vote on anything at the Federal level. Nothing. In most States, you do not vote on any government action (Again, the comically named Republic of CA being an exception). You vote for representatives which makes us a Republic. We have a Constitution which makes us a Constitutional Republic.
#7
Hey, why don’t we call it the Smurf form of government since the words we use don’t matter? We can start calling our government Communist now by just claiming that the word means something different now than it did 100 years ago. Sheesh.
#24
Democracy just means the PEOPLE
Aside from the fact that the Democrat leadership could care less about the people, if your claim were true, then they should have called themselves the Populist party instead of the Democrat party.
Maroons who don’t want to be confused by historical facts !!! Too bad for their kids !!!
Democracy, Republican, Question is who is For Freedom of choice,
Who Believe in america, I was taught How important it is to know your
history, I really didn’t realize it until now, So, I believe everyone should read history, try to get both point of view, not just one.
GOD BLESS AMERICA,