By Dale Lucht

What form of government do we have in the United States? Many people do call it a democracy, but it is not a pure democracy. A pure democracy would be unwieldly in a large population. In a true democracy each law or decision is voted on by the voting public. For example, if you wanted to eliminate income tax, 50% plus 1 person would have to vote for that before it became law. In a large group this would preclude anything getting done. So are founding fathers decided that we should have a republic. Republic basically means in the “public good.”  

In our Republic, our representatives are democratically elected to vote in our stead. If we don’t agree with our representatives we have to wait until next term to vote them out of office. What are the major differences between a democracy and a republic? In a democracy a voting majority has unlimited power to make laws. Minorities have few protections from the will of the majority. In a republic we elect representatives to make laws according to the constraints of a constitution. A democracy is ruled by the majority and the rights of the minority can be overridden by the majority. In a republic the rights of the minority are protected by a constitution.

We are now going through a crisis. There are those running for office who want an autocracy, which means, a system of government by one person with absolute power. There are also those who think we should have a theocracy, which is a system of government ruled by priests or religion. In both these examples minorities suffer a loss of their rights. 

When people are elected to, or join the armed services, they are required to take the oath of office.  They swear to “…defend and protect the constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic…”  We don’t swear allegiance to a political party, a president or a lord high poohbah.

More than two hundred plus years ago our “Founding Fathers” put together a “Constitution” and a “Bill of Rights” to guide us into the future. They didn’t expect it to be sacred text that shouldn’t be tampered with. At that time slaves weren’t considered as human, women couldn’t vote and flintlock rifles were the high-tech weapons of that day. We now have a majority of the judges on the Supreme Court who consider themselves “originalists”, which means they base their decisions on what was meant in 1787.

We are now going through the chaos of leaving the Piscean Age and entering the Age of Aquarius. Perhaps it is time to review and renew our constitution. I urge you all to listen to the Fifth Dimension’s rendition of the “Age of Aquarius.” What does the new age bring? “Harmony and understanding, Sympathy and trust abounding, No more falsehoods or derisions, Golden living dreams of visions, Mystic crystal revelation, And the mind’s true liberation.” Dig out your bell bottoms.

Our democratic republic can achieve a “Golden Age,” one where we all have a strong sense of social justice and a desire to make the world a better place. Where we are inclusive and not exclusive. I believe we will have a tough fight to achieve this, but I’m an optimist, after all I planted a shade tree this year. Somebody will enjoy it.

I believe it was the Iroquois, which holds it appropriate to think seven generations ahead and decide whether the decisions they make today would benefit their descendants. Nowadays we make too many short-sighted decisions and laws, that don’t look to the future but look to the past. Let us hope that the Age of Aquarius brings us Wisdom.