Based on the John Birch Society Video: The American Form of Government

Presented for the Summer Education ProgramSan Tan Valley – Queen Creek

Tea Party Patriots

“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”

“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

Most Americans believe the United States form of Government is a Democracy

What most people do not realize is the very important differences between a Democracy and a Republic form of government

1. The set of formal legal institutions that constitute a “government” or a “state.”

2. The term comprehends actual as well as prescribed forms of political behaviour, not only the legal organization of the state but also the reality of how the state functions.

3. A set of “processes of interaction” or as a subsystem of the social system interacting with other nonpolitical subsystems, such as the economic system . . .

Mistaken Views of the Political Spectrum

Communists ModeratesFascism

What are the real political spectrums?

TotalGovernment Power

No GovernmentPower

100% 0%

Communism

Socialism

Nazism

Fascism

Princes

Kings

Dictators

Etc.

Nazism and Fascism on the Right or Left of the spectrum?

The terms must be defined properly . . .

TotalGovernment Power

No GovernmentPower

100% 0%

Communism

Socialism

NazismNazism

FascismFascismPrinces

Kings

Dictators

Etc.

Misplacement of Government Misplacement of Government forms in the Political Spectrumforms in the Political Spectrum

What is found in the middle of the spectrum?

TotalGovernment Power

No GovernmentPower

100% 0%

Communism

Socialism

Nazism

Fascism

Princes

Kings

Dictators

Etc.

Protecting the Rights of the

People

Constitutional Moderates

What are the forms of Government?

Monarchy

Oligarchy Democrac

y

Republic

Anarchy

Rule By One . . .

Doesn’t really exist Always a group that puts

one of its members up front A king has his councils . . . A Dictator has his

bureaucrats or commissars

But this system is always governed by a group in reality

Monarchy is not a real form of Government . . .

Monarchy

Oligarchy Democrac

y

Republic

AnarchyX

Ruled by a Group

Most common form of Government historically and today

Ruled by a Powerful few

A legitimate form of government

Monarchy is not a real form of Government . . .

Oligarchy Democrac

y

Republic

Anarchy

Without Government

Opposite side of the Spectrum

A hatred for government and its crimes

Some believe that it is best not to have a form of government

Without law there can be no Freedom

Anarchy does not work

Some amount of government is anecessary force in any civilized orderly society . . .

Every person must watch out for themselves

Property is at riskArmed civiliansMovement is restricted because you

may lose what you leave behind at your property

Civilized societies have always hired a protector or guardian

SheriffPolice forceA branch of governmentLaw enforcement brings freedomProperty is protected so people can

go to work and travel

The proper amount of Government makes everyone freer

Some want anarchy not because they want no government, but because they do not like what they have

Anarchy is used as a tool for revolutionary change

Anarchy produces a vacuum . . .Once government is removed,

something must replace it

Some want anarchy not because they want no government, but because they do not like what they have

Anarchy is used as a tool for revolutionary change

Anarchy produces a vacuum . . .Once government is removed,

something must replace it

Rioting, looting, destroying businesses, terrorism

All designed to bring about the change the anarchist want

The people caught up in the disaster beg those who are ready to take over to save them and to restore order

Who stops the chaos? The very people who started it

Those who fill the void and take over then set up an oligarchy to rule with total power

Lenin and the Unions

Iranians and the students

Hitler and the Brown Shirts

Castro and Mao and many others

Chaos introduces change and takeover

It is only a temporary form of government

It is only a temporary means for bringing about a new form of government

It is not a legitimate government

Anarchy is not a real form of Government . . .

Oligarchy Democrac

y

Republic

AnarchyX

Oligarchy Democrac

y

Republic

Two Greek words:

DemosDemos = PeoplePeople

KrateinKratein = To RuleTo Rule

The Rule of the PeopleRule of the People or Majority RuleMajority Rule

But there are downsides . . .

What if the majority wants to take away a persons home, business or even children?

There has to be limits!

The flaw: The Majority isn’t The Majority isn’t restrained!restrained!

51% can decide the fate of the other 49%

What about a Republic?

Oligarchy

Democracy

Republic

Two Latin words:

Res Res = ThingThing

Publica Publica = PublicPublic

The Public ThingThe Public Thing or The LawThe Law

The Government is limited by Law

Leaving the people alone

Wiped away tyrannyThey had a clean slate to write onCould have set up an Oligarchy

George Washington could have been King!

Founding fathers knew historyProvided the Rule of LawRule of Law insteadA RepublicRepublic was formedDemocracy was shunned and hated by

the Founding fathers

Consider what happens in a Democracy when a horse thief is captured

A Posse of 35 cowboys catches the horse thief

In a democracy the posse can vote 34-1 to hang the horse thief

Democracy has triumphedOne less horse thief to contend with

Consider what happens in a Republic when a horse thief is captured

A Posse of 35 cowboys catches the horse thief

In a Republic the posse can vote 34-1 to hang the horse thief

But then the sheriff arrives and tells the posse you can’t kill the horse thief

The horse thief has the right to a fair trial

A jury of peers is chosen to decide the fate of the horse thief after evidence is presented

The Jury must be unanimous or the defendant goes free

The rights of the accused are sustained

The Rule of Law prevails

The word Democracy is not used in the: Declaration of Independence The US Constitution The Constitutions of the 50 States

The founders did everything they could to not have a democracy

The author of the US Constitution

Founding Fathers knew the history of the Greek Democratic states

Government excesses leads to mob rule, Anarchy, and then Tyranny under and Oligarchy

Law needs to be written that is not subject to Majority rule and its whims and winds of change

Romans followed Solans counselCreated Laws to limit government

and to leave the people aloneFreedom left people to excel in

production and to keep the fruits of their labor

Wealth and envy of the world

Forgot the value of their freedom They forgot that the essence of freedom is

the proper limitation of government When government power grows the

freedom of the people recedes Political parties and politicians seized the

power away from the people Redistribution of property, government

subsidies, housing and welfare programs, higher taxes to pay for government followed

Profits declined, companies failed and mobocracy followed demanding bread and circuses

Freedom was traded for security

Republic collapsed which lead to a democracy which lead to an Oligarchy, which lead to the Caesars

Not a valid governmentGradual transition between a limited

government to the unlimited rule of an Oligarchy

Democracy is a transitional form of government . . .

Oligarchy

Democracy

Republic

X

There are really only two choices . . .

Oligarchy

Republic

An Oligarchy or a Republic?

What are you going to do when you hear someone say our country is a Democracy?

Why do Politicians use the word Democracy and not Republic?