February 28, 2007
The Republic: A Tutorial
Many people get confused about what form of government America actually has. It is often called a democracy, but it is really a republic. Walter Williams explains:
Our founders intended for us to have a limited republican form of government where rights precede government and there is rule of law. Citizens, as well as government officials, are accountable to the same laws. Government intervenes in civil society only to protect its citizens against force and fraud but does not intervene in the cases of peaceable, voluntary exchange. By contrast, in a democracy, the majority rules either directly or through its elected representatives. The law is whatever the government deems it to be. Rights may be granted or taken away.
Read the entire thing here. Short, sweet, and educational.
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