A friend of mine recently made a point in
a post on his FaceBook page that dovetails with a message I teach my Civics
students.
In explaining to them why we are a
Constitutional Republic, as opposed to a Democracy, I start by asking
them where they think their rights come from. As you might expect
from young people many of them say, "The government." OK, I
respond, if the government can give you rights what else can the
government do? Within seconds the reply is, "It can take them
away." Right, so do you want to stay with your original answer?
Heads start shaking.
I then go on to explain that you are
BORN with certain "unalienable" rights. Now not everyone is
born in a country and into a system that is designed to recognize and
protect those rights, but that does not change the fact that you are
born with those rights. I then ask them to tell me what they think
one or more of those rights might be. Their answers often mirror the
Bill of Rights. I then explain that if we were a Democracy then the
mob would rule and those rights could be taken away with a vote.
Thus, you would really have no rights other than what the majority
are willing to allow you.
In a Republic the government recognizes
those rights, even if ALL of them are not enumerated, and swears to
protect them. So, even if a majority were to vote to take away one of
your rights, they would not be allowed to, as it is an unalienable
right and thus protected by the government. I use a few examples to
illustrate my point and by the time I am finished they understand the
concept of a Republic vs. a Democracy.
Sadly, far too many adults in this
country seem to think that our rights are malleable. That they can be
changed on a whim and by a simple majority vote. I believe that this
is by design, as they are primarily products of a public school
system that is more concerned with compliance than it is with
thinking. My students are taught to think and follow things through
to their logical conclusions. Whether or not I am successful in this
effort remains to be seen, but I do make the effort.
