This Is a Democracy, Not a Kingdom
Millions of Americans want to keep it that way
When we broke off from England, some thought we were fools. We had a daddy king who we paid taxes to, and we took instruction from him as if he were right down the street. For this, we received protection. There was no need to think; just do as you’re told.
But he was across the water.
And to make it worse, we had no representation in his court. At least, not any that the King had any right to respect. But, it was said by many who were superior to us, that we should be grateful. And if we didn’t like it, we should just move somewhere else. But that’s not the American way, now, is it?
You speak up in meetings here. You protest in the streets. (Yes, it’s still legal.) And you vote. But with a king, there is no voting.
America is traditionally the type of country you go to after you or your old country screws up. That’s why most of the United States population (including the current President of the United States) are grandchildren or children of immigrants. However, once you’re here, you stay. And if there’s a problem, you figure it out. You fight for your beliefs. You battle for your rights.
That’s the American way.
For example, many of our ancestors worked six or seven days a week. But millions were abused and mistreated, so then they formed unions. That’s how some of us ended up in jobs where we had benefits and worked forty-hour weeks. It was because of their sacrifice we had better, more enjoyable lives.
As the years passed, our memories failed. We forgot how our parents were able to buy homes, go on vacations, get better health care, and built decent retirements. We looked down on unions even though it was because of them that we were now living our best lives. We got arrogant. We became stupid. Living standards are decreasing again because unions became weak. It looks like the battle will need to be repeated.
We persist until the wrong is right.
And now we’re behaving as if we want to throw it all away.
Our democracy is still an experiment
The colonies were subservient to a King. Over time, the settlers became intrigued with the thought of independence. Could they determine their own destiny? Then Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense, a pamphlet that inspired the colonists to rule themselves.
The American War of Independence was initiated by thirteen colonies in April 1775 in order to decisively answer these questions. Eight years, four months, and fifteen days later when the British conceded, the colonies thought this argument had been won. The constitution was written to usher in a new way of government.
However, it appears that some of us still hunger for a king.
There have been several times in our history when it seemed that democracy was in danger of being watered down, or eliminated entirely. However, we were saved by the fact that a streak of individualism runs strongly through the American public.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
President Herbert Hoover, the incumbent, was running for a second term in 1932. The country had entered into a depression.
Hoover’s response to the loss of millions of jobs was to refer to something called “rugged individualism.” He didn’t actually say they were “turning the curve,” but he was a bit casual about it all.
Defensive to the point of bewilderment, he told reporters, “No one is actually starving.”
But Americans were starving. Hoover lost to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a landslide. He left office with one of the lowest approval ratings of any president in history.
In 1932, fifty-year-old Franklin Delano Roosevelt entered the White House and 13,000,000 people were jobless. He went to work.
In 1936, 8,000,000 were still jobless, but the business community wasn’t too happy. The Wagner Act of 1935 gave employees the power to join unions and fight for better conditions.
The Social Security Act of 1935 stopped or minimized the poverty that took hold in so many households. Some Americans still denigrate socialism even in 2020, as they cash their own check every month. It allowed (and still does) many (including their parents and grandparents) to grow old with dignity.
He won a second time.
In 1940, the country was still in a depression and supporting the British in World War II which had started the year before. Americans decided not to make a change and so FDR was the first president to win a third term.
The United States entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. By now, everyone who wanted a job had one; we had to win the war.
And in 1944, FDR won a fourth term.
Thomas Dewey, Roosevelt’s Republican opponent in 1944 said, “Four terms or 16 years is the most dangerous threat to our freedom ever proposed.”
Two years after FDR’s death, Congress passed the 22nd Amendment, limiting presidents to two terms. The amendment was then ratified in 1951.
The American people decided that while FDR did help our country, they did not want this to happen again. They wanted to ensure that there were no misunderstandings…
President Donald J. Trump has rights
The president is well within his rights to run for a second term, and he has been running ever since he won in 2016. But you may have noticed that at some of his rallies he’s been encouraging his fans to shout “twelve more years!”
One can guess that someone told him about the FDR playbook. With that in mind, one would think he would be more empathetic to those who are ill and dying of the COVID19. But he appears to be cold to the suffering of others.
Trump’s indifference to the pandemic is, in the same way, an echo of the Hoover administration, which stood by as the country was crushed by economic depression and the immiseration of millions of Americans.
However, his followers aren’t much different. They trade false facts. For example, we lost 22 million jobs in 2020, and as of 10/12/20, we still have 12,600,000 Americans who are out of work. Trump’s followers have been told that we’ve gained jobs as if we can’t count.
In this video, a young woman says, “I'm having a great time, I can’t feel my body. But I don’t really need my body, it’s about Trump’s body.” In another segment, she says that “I think he did this to teach us a lesson.” This is after thousands of people at a Trump rally were stuck waiting for buses in the cold when it was over. But what’s odd is that there was a spiritual element attached to her regard for President Trump.
There are videos online in which some of his fans insist that if one does not promote President Trump, that person should consider leaving the country. This is a highly un-American attitude. Sound familiar?
In the video, one woman insists that she will not live under socialized medicine. She will not live under communism! Where would she go? Costa Rica, she suggests. (Who’s going to tell her that Costa Rica has socialized medicine?)
We have a constitution
Our country was designed to run based on the United States Constitution, led by a mature, intelligent being, one not held hostage to personal whims and petty emotions. It is somewhat frightening to watch a person with such power unleash it on regular citizens and government employees.
It may be time to look at the purpose of the United States government according to the constitution:
The government seeks to balance the interests of the individual with the interests of the community. The government is rooted in the power of the people. The government’s most important purpose is protection.
Very few are protected here. Between the excessive turnover in the President’s administration, the increasing poverty, the joblessness, and the handling of the COVID19 pandemic, just who is being served?
The constitution must be supported by a strong Congress. Without them, this President is like a loose cannon with no safeguards. So this is where we are…
But the main problem is a certain segment of the population appears to have no problem with a President who lies quite often. In July of 2020, at least 20,000 lies or misleading claims have been made by President Trump.
This is not normal.
And when Trump followers see wrongdoing from the President, they put their heads in the sand. Now it is obvious that President Trump does not want America to count all the votes in the 2020 election. But what do we hear from leading Republican representatives? Crickets.
Why would we even consider allowing this travesty to occur?
In other words, they want a king.
Can this be fixed? If we reach out to our brethren, can we merge as one America? Then again, have we ever been on one accord in our short American history? Probably not.
Why? Because we are just all so different. It’s difficult to integrate people of different cultures and backgrounds even when we try. We don’t have to agree. However, the majority of us are not willing to bow down to a dictatorial type of leader who has little restraint. That is not the American way.
This is a democracy, not a kingdom.
Ultimately, I think you’ll agree that millions of Americans want to keep it that way.
We will know if that’s true very soon.