The Silver Birch Book of Questions and Answers - Silver Birch
Based on the John Birch Society Video: The American Form of Government Presented for the Summer...
-
Upload
marylou-hardy -
Category
Documents
-
view
215 -
download
1
Transcript of Based on the John Birch Society Video: The American Form of Government Presented for the Summer...
Based on the John Birch Society Video: The American Form of Government
Presented for the Summer Education ProgramSan Tan Valley – Queen Creek
Tea Party Patriots
“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”
“A Republic, if you can keep it.”
Most Americans believe the United States form of Government is a Democracy
What most people do not realize is the very important differences between a Democracy and a Republic form of government
1. The set of formal legal institutions that constitute a “government” or a “state.”
2. The term comprehends actual as well as prescribed forms of political behaviour, not only the legal organization of the state but also the reality of how the state functions.
3. A set of “processes of interaction” or as a subsystem of the social system interacting with other nonpolitical subsystems, such as the economic system . . .
Mistaken Views of the Political Spectrum
Communists ModeratesFascism
What are the real political spectrums?
TotalGovernment Power
No GovernmentPower
100% 0%
Communism
Socialism
Nazism
Fascism
Princes
Kings
Dictators
Etc.
Nazism and Fascism on the Right or Left of the spectrum?
The terms must be defined properly . . .
TotalGovernment Power
No GovernmentPower
100% 0%
Communism
Socialism
NazismNazism
FascismFascismPrinces
Kings
Dictators
Etc.
Misplacement of Government Misplacement of Government forms in the Political Spectrumforms in the Political Spectrum
What is found in the middle of the spectrum?
TotalGovernment Power
No GovernmentPower
100% 0%
Communism
Socialism
Nazism
Fascism
Princes
Kings
Dictators
Etc.
Protecting the Rights of the
People
Constitutional Moderates
What are the forms of Government?
Monarchy
Oligarchy Democrac
y
Republic
Anarchy
Rule By One . . .
Doesn’t really exist Always a group that puts
one of its members up front A king has his councils . . . A Dictator has his
bureaucrats or commissars
But this system is always governed by a group in reality
Monarchy is not a real form of Government . . .
Monarchy
Oligarchy Democrac
y
Republic
AnarchyX
Ruled by a Group
Most common form of Government historically and today
Ruled by a Powerful few
A legitimate form of government
Monarchy is not a real form of Government . . .
Oligarchy Democrac
y
Republic
Anarchy
Without Government
Opposite side of the Spectrum
A hatred for government and its crimes
Some believe that it is best not to have a form of government
Without law there can be no Freedom
Anarchy does not work
Some amount of government is anecessary force in any civilized orderly society . . .
Every person must watch out for themselves
Property is at riskArmed civiliansMovement is restricted because you
may lose what you leave behind at your property
Civilized societies have always hired a protector or guardian
SheriffPolice forceA branch of governmentLaw enforcement brings freedomProperty is protected so people can
go to work and travel
The proper amount of Government makes everyone freer
Some want anarchy not because they want no government, but because they do not like what they have
Anarchy is used as a tool for revolutionary change
Anarchy produces a vacuum . . .Once government is removed,
something must replace it
Some want anarchy not because they want no government, but because they do not like what they have
Anarchy is used as a tool for revolutionary change
Anarchy produces a vacuum . . .Once government is removed,
something must replace it
Rioting, looting, destroying businesses, terrorism
All designed to bring about the change the anarchist want
The people caught up in the disaster beg those who are ready to take over to save them and to restore order
Who stops the chaos? The very people who started it
Those who fill the void and take over then set up an oligarchy to rule with total power
Lenin and the Unions
Iranians and the students
Hitler and the Brown Shirts
Castro and Mao and many others
Chaos introduces change and takeover
It is only a temporary form of government
It is only a temporary means for bringing about a new form of government
It is not a legitimate government
Anarchy is not a real form of Government . . .
Oligarchy Democrac
y
Republic
AnarchyX
Oligarchy Democrac
y
Republic
Two Greek words:
DemosDemos = PeoplePeople
KrateinKratein = To RuleTo Rule
The Rule of the PeopleRule of the People or Majority RuleMajority Rule
But there are downsides . . .
What if the majority wants to take away a persons home, business or even children?
There has to be limits!
The flaw: The Majority isn’t The Majority isn’t restrained!restrained!
51% can decide the fate of the other 49%
What about a Republic?
Oligarchy
Democracy
Republic
Two Latin words:
Res Res = ThingThing
Publica Publica = PublicPublic
The Public ThingThe Public Thing or The LawThe Law
The Government is limited by Law
Leaving the people alone
Wiped away tyrannyThey had a clean slate to write onCould have set up an Oligarchy
George Washington could have been King!
Founding fathers knew historyProvided the Rule of LawRule of Law insteadA RepublicRepublic was formedDemocracy was shunned and hated by
the Founding fathers
Consider what happens in a Democracy when a horse thief is captured
A Posse of 35 cowboys catches the horse thief
In a democracy the posse can vote 34-1 to hang the horse thief
Democracy has triumphedOne less horse thief to contend with
Consider what happens in a Republic when a horse thief is captured
A Posse of 35 cowboys catches the horse thief
In a Republic the posse can vote 34-1 to hang the horse thief
But then the sheriff arrives and tells the posse you can’t kill the horse thief
The horse thief has the right to a fair trial
A jury of peers is chosen to decide the fate of the horse thief after evidence is presented
The Jury must be unanimous or the defendant goes free
The rights of the accused are sustained
The Rule of Law prevails
The word Democracy is not used in the: Declaration of Independence The US Constitution The Constitutions of the 50 States
The founders did everything they could to not have a democracy
The author of the US Constitution
Founding Fathers knew the history of the Greek Democratic states
Government excesses leads to mob rule, Anarchy, and then Tyranny under and Oligarchy
Law needs to be written that is not subject to Majority rule and its whims and winds of change
Romans followed Solans counselCreated Laws to limit government
and to leave the people aloneFreedom left people to excel in
production and to keep the fruits of their labor
Wealth and envy of the world
Forgot the value of their freedom They forgot that the essence of freedom is
the proper limitation of government When government power grows the
freedom of the people recedes Political parties and politicians seized the
power away from the people Redistribution of property, government
subsidies, housing and welfare programs, higher taxes to pay for government followed
Profits declined, companies failed and mobocracy followed demanding bread and circuses
Freedom was traded for security
Republic collapsed which lead to a democracy which lead to an Oligarchy, which lead to the Caesars
Not a valid governmentGradual transition between a limited
government to the unlimited rule of an Oligarchy
Democracy is a transitional form of government . . .
Oligarchy
Democracy
Republic
X
There are really only two choices . . .
Oligarchy
Republic
An Oligarchy or a Republic?
What are you going to do when you hear someone say our country is a Democracy?
Why do Politicians use the word Democracy and not Republic?