Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk 9/10/12: The U.S. is a Republic, NOT a Democracy!

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A Republic, Not a Democracy
by Ron Paul

Last week marked the conclusion of the grand taxpayer funded spectacles known as the national party conventions. It is perhaps very telling that while $18 million in tax dollars was granted to each party for these lavish ordeals, an additional $50 million each was needed for security in anticipation of the inevitable protests at each event. This amounts to a total of $136 million in taxpayer funds for strictly partisan activities - a drop in the bucket relative to our disastrous fiscal situation, but disgraceful nonetheless. Parties should fund their own parties, not the taxpayer.

At these conventions, leaders determined, or pretended to determine, who they wished to govern the nation for the next four years amidst inevitable, endless exaltations of democracy. Yet we are not a democracy. In fact, the founding fathers found the concept of democracy very dangerous.

Democracy is majority rule at the expense of the minority. Our system has certain democratic elements, but the founders never mentioned democracy in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or the Declaration of Independence. In fact, our most important protections are decidedly undemocratic. For example, the First Amendment protects free speech. It doesn't - or shouldn't - matter if that speech is abhorrent to 51% or even 99% of the people. Speech is not subject to majority approval. Under our republican form of government, the individual, the smallest of minorities, is protected from the mob.

Sadly, the constitution and its protections are respected less and less as we have quietly allowed our constitutional republic to devolve into a militarist, corporatist social democracy. Laws are broken, quietly changed and ignored when inconvenient to those in power, while others in positions to check and balance do nothing. The protections the founders put in place are more and more just an illusion.

This is why increasing importance is placed on the beliefs and views of the president. The very narrow limitations on government power are clearly laid out in Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution. Nowhere is there any reference to being able to force Americans to buy health insurance or face a tax/penalty, for example. Yet this power has been claimed by the executive and astonishingly affirmed by Congress and the Supreme Court. Because we are a constitutional republic, the mere popularity of a policy should not matter. If it is in clear violation of the limits of government and the people still want it, a Constitutional amendment is the only appropriate way to proceed. However, rather than going through this arduous process, the Constitution was in effect, ignored and the insurance mandate was allowed anyway.

This demonstrates how there is now a great deal of unhindered flexibility in the Oval Office to impose personal views and preferences on the country, so long as 51% of the people can be convinced to vote a certain way. The other 49% on the other hand have much to be angry about and protest under this system.

We should not tolerate the fact that we have become a nation ruled by men, their whims and the mood of the day, and not laws. It cannot be emphasized enough that we are a republic, not a democracy and, as such, we should insist that the framework of the Constitution be respected and boundaries set by law are not crossed by our leaders. These legal limitations on government assure that other men do not impose their will over the individual, rather, the individual is able to govern himself. When government is restrained, liberty thrives.

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[Anon Emus]

Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012 Ron Paul 2012

[Obito Uchiha]

Ron Paul 2012!

[109ejg]

Thank you again Dr Paul.

[nalejbank]

Our problems stem from a general ignorance of liberty, natural rights and the proper functions of government. Until we revive that knowledge, the corrupt will rule over the ignorant. History proves this over and over.

May we again be worthy of deserving liberty by assuming the personal responsibility that goes along with it.

[Anao344]

You do know you need a Democratic leader in a Republic, so long as there is a higher military force to expand don't you? Because... we can't stay here forever...

In other words, you can't have someone in office making the rich richer, or eventually the rich will gain control over the military and promote whatever they want. With the money that the rich already have(which is trillions upon trillions of dollars), they can potentially blow up the earth with their want of war for money. woops?

[Anon Emus]

Who got molested by the TSA, you must love the sound of their screams. Of course you're a CPS employee, maybe a state dept. or better yet UN 'peacekeeper'. Go back to your plastic badge and groping grandma looking for ALCIADA in childrens underpants you apathetic mindless idiot.

[Anon Emus]

I helps weed out the muppets, it helps open up discussion, it gets me 43 thumbs up while you call me child... other then coming off like a lonely angry depressed shell of a man, how do you think this comment would make you feel better? I know that the psyop pussy anonymous trolls try to shut me up, but that's not gonna work. I come after bitches like you and point out that your defending the TSA groping your grandmother and molesting your kids, you sick pedophile loving fucks,you feel safer now?

[Anon Emus]

Hahahaha! try and make me shut up! I don't really give a shit! I will always support him because I now he's not a fucking muppet such as yourself! Goldman Sachs is your candidate! You are loving the TSA groping your children and grandparents aren't you! You don't care about how your MONEY is being DESTROYED! Because you care too much about when football or dancing with the stars is on! So I have an idea, while I'll stay informed trying to wake ppl up you may remain numb dumb and apathetic :D

[Matias Nope]

Whats the purpose of being a nation, if you'll be a libertarian? i mean, libertarism is pure individualism, and a nation is Union...so...

[PistolPackingPatriot]

Hmmm... I wonder if the Libertarian Party received $68 million this year? Or any year? Or even a penny, ever? Yeah, right. Dr. Paul is so right, as usual. The sheeple are fleeced to pay the cost of their own enslavement. And most do so quite willingly and happily. There are none so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe themselves to be free.

[Zentz29]

The U.S. is a constitutional, democratic, socialist republic as it stands now.

[knickknack07]

awww...my pathetic internet stalker is back. What are you going to do little boy? Go to all my uploaded videos and post hilariously juvenile comments again?

What an EXCITING life you lead! Your mom wishes every night that she jammed that hanger just a LITTLE bit farther up her cunt 5 months before you were born.