As a resident of Colorado, I am especially distraught over several of the bills that are passing there. (I know what you're thinking... 'This guys is launching a blog with that? You bet I am!). Take for instance the recent decision to limit ammunition magazines to no more than 15 round capacity, the decision to require universal background checks on ALL firearm transfers, and the even more recent decision to allow illegal immigrants to acquire Colorado Drivers Licenses. While I could write several pages on each of these topics--and probably will as time goes on--I'd like to focus on a somewhat broader topic... a higher wrung on the ladder of abstractions, if you will. That topic is the meaning of a democratic republic.
It just boils my blood when I hear people, whether it be politicians, newscasters Joe Schmo at the gas station bragging about the U.S. spreading democracy to the rest of the world. First off, who said they wanted democracy in the first place!? (yet another topic for another day). Second, and more importantly to this blog, what happened to the little piece of our government called a REPUBLIC? Let me break this down for you:
DEMOCRACY - Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. (Dictionary.com)
REPUBLIC - A state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them. (Dictionary.com)
Now out of those two definitions, which one seems to describe the United States. I'll give you a hint: Both. The United States was organized as a democratic republic. Each and every citizen (of age) is represented and has a chance to vote as the Democracy claims, but little to no emphasis is placed on the fact that we have representatives as the Republic points out. Why am I harping on this so much? I'll get there in just a second.
In Colorado on March 4 something happened that I think is much closer to the center of the issue than a bunch of unconstitutional and oppressive bills. Colorado citizens were denied the opportunity to testify against the proposed legislation. There is a much more in-depth account on Sheriff Terry Maketa's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maketaforsheriff) and you can scroll to his post on March 12 to read about it. What is even more astonishing is that the husband of shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords was allowed to testify for the proposed "common sense" legislation. I couldn't care less that he testified against it. Everyone has a first amendment right to speak their mind (ahem... so long as there is a second amendment to protect it). What I am so incredulous about is that he is not even a Colorado resident. He is from Arizona. Why was he allowed to testify regarding the bill when literally thousands of Coloradans lined up out the door were unable to?
This is why I mentioned the importance of the Republic. The people who hold political office do NOT hold political power. They are merely there as representatives of those individuals who elected them democratically. And when you have thousands of people who you supposedly represent show up at your doorstep and call you on the phone and send you letter after letter on how they want to be represented, and you ignore that in favor of what you feel will make a safer community, we have a problem.
Something stinks in the city of Denver.
It just boils my blood when I hear people, whether it be politicians, newscasters Joe Schmo at the gas station bragging about the U.S. spreading democracy to the rest of the world. First off, who said they wanted democracy in the first place!? (yet another topic for another day). Second, and more importantly to this blog, what happened to the little piece of our government called a REPUBLIC? Let me break this down for you:
DEMOCRACY - Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. (Dictionary.com)
REPUBLIC - A state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them. (Dictionary.com)
Now out of those two definitions, which one seems to describe the United States. I'll give you a hint: Both. The United States was organized as a democratic republic. Each and every citizen (of age) is represented and has a chance to vote as the Democracy claims, but little to no emphasis is placed on the fact that we have representatives as the Republic points out. Why am I harping on this so much? I'll get there in just a second.
In Colorado on March 4 something happened that I think is much closer to the center of the issue than a bunch of unconstitutional and oppressive bills. Colorado citizens were denied the opportunity to testify against the proposed legislation. There is a much more in-depth account on Sheriff Terry Maketa's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maketaforsheriff) and you can scroll to his post on March 12 to read about it. What is even more astonishing is that the husband of shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords was allowed to testify for the proposed "common sense" legislation. I couldn't care less that he testified against it. Everyone has a first amendment right to speak their mind (ahem... so long as there is a second amendment to protect it). What I am so incredulous about is that he is not even a Colorado resident. He is from Arizona. Why was he allowed to testify regarding the bill when literally thousands of Coloradans lined up out the door were unable to?
This is why I mentioned the importance of the Republic. The people who hold political office do NOT hold political power. They are merely there as representatives of those individuals who elected them democratically. And when you have thousands of people who you supposedly represent show up at your doorstep and call you on the phone and send you letter after letter on how they want to be represented, and you ignore that in favor of what you feel will make a safer community, we have a problem.
Something stinks in the city of Denver.
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