> Republic = Representative Government = Bigger centralized government, a necessary > evil for a time when 'one man, one vote' was logistically impossible. > > Democracy = One man, one vote, almost no central government (maybe a prime-minister > of some sort, and a small senatorial body to deal with day-to-day things)
Well, at the risk of seeming "contrary", Social Science characterizes them as:
Republic: Representative government ruled by laws. Democracy: Majority rules.
Our founding fathers purposefully made us a Republic, a representative nation of laws, to prevent the "mob effect" of a pure democracy. No where is the word "democratic" in our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, nor any Constitution of the 50 states.
Perfect example of the mob-effect of Democracy is a lynch mob. They capture their target, vote to hang him... 35 yays (the mob) to 1 nay (the guy they caught)... and he's hung on the spot.
Under a nation ruled by laws and representation, not majority vote, he is entitled to a trial by law first.
Quite honestly, we've shifted closer and closer to a democracy, and all of it's trappings... the most glaring example is our tax laws... 9 to 1 vote to take the money from the 1. Under a rule of law, the tax code would equally distribute the tax burden... usually referred to as a "flat tax", where one tax rate is applicable to all Americans without prejudice or favoritism.
Awesome video... please watch it.
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