Letters – Democracy or Republic?
To the Editor:
How ironic! A local resident who voted in the 2008 and 2010 Democrat Primaries (it’s public record), struggled in her attempt to redefine what a conservative is in her Oct. 20, 2011, tongue-in-cheek Letter to the Editor. For those who don’t know the real definition, keep reading.
First, let’s talk about the difference between a Republic and a
pure Democracy. Republics exercise governmental authority through mediating representatives under the rule of law. Pure Democracies, on the other hand, exercise governmental authority through the imposition of the will of the majority without regard to the concerns of any minority. A pure Democracy is not too far from mob rule.
The United States is a Republic.
At the close of the Constitutional Convention, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin what type of government the Constitution was bringing into existence. Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
If you still have any doubts, place your right hand over your heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. (“…and to the “?” for which it stands…).
In our Republic, we elect our representatives through a democratic process. It is the duty of our elected officials to receive and thoughtfully consider all public comment and all available information before making a decision and determining a vote which they believe is best for their whole constituency.
There are two sides to every issue; otherwise, it wouldn’t be an issue, would it?
When an incumbent runs for re-election, put them back in office if they’ve done well, or don’t vote for them if you disagree with their decisions, but civilized people do not operate by mob rule in this country.
In the mean time, disgracing oneself through rude, misleading, or unprofessional behavior in a public meeting reflects quite poorly on a person’s character and only erodes the cause for which they stand. Ever heard the expression: “You can catch a lot more flies with teaspoon of honey than a gallon of vinegar?”
There’s a lot of vinegar going around in our community these days. Why can’t folks act like grown-ups and have intellectually honest discussions?
To set the record straight, I encourage you to go to Google and enter “define conservative,” and you’ll get: “Holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in politics or religion.” Then enter “define liberal” and you’ll get “Open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values.”
Ma’am, if you truly believe the budget should have been put out there for the Caldwell County taxpayers to vote on rather than only a handful of officials, you have clearly identified yourself as both a Democrat and a liberal. Please don’t try to sound like you’re someone you obviously aren’t when you write to the newspaper.
It’s better to just be honest with people.
Kathy Haigler
Mustang Ridge
I was amused by this letter so I had to go lookup the original being responded to – https://post-register.com/opinions/letters-reader-describes-difference-between-liberal-and-conservative/#comment-16071
I don’t think Mrs. Vann meant to come off as a “conservative” at all. It’s very clear though that she doesn’t understand the definition of the word or how a representative government works… or even how to balance a check book it would seem, perhaps that’s another service the county should provide… lol