陌上美国 Moshang USA
独立快捷的时评和美国生活信息咨询
We are a Republic, Not Democracy
民主是一种基于多数统治原则的政府形式。讨论到此为止，这并不复杂。多数统治很容易理解，也很容易向大众推广，但我还要补充一点，它是致命的。例如，你会如何形容一群私刑者？这就是多数统治。只有一个反对票，而他正站在绞索的末端。这就是纯粹的民主运作。但你可能会说，应该由多数统治。是的，但不应达到破坏少数人权利的程度。
现在，女士们先生们，我们不再在描述一个民主国家，而是在谈论一个共和国。共和国是一种有限的民主政府形式，基于有限的多数统治原则。这种限制使得少数群体，甚至只有一个人的少数群体，也能免受多数人的任性和激情的影响。
那么，如何保护少数人免受多数人的侵害呢？你将一套规则写在纸上，注明哪些是可以做的，哪些是不能做的。纸的顶部写上“宪法”这个词，然后每个人都同意无论受到多大的诱惑，都要遵守这些规则。当你完成这些时，你就创建了一个宪政共和国。
"Democracy is a form of government based upon the principle of majority rule. Period. End of discussion. Now that's not very complicated majority rule. It's easy to understand, easy to sell to the masses, and I might add, deadly. For example, what would you call a lynch mop? That's majority rule. There's only one descending vote, and he's at the end of the rope. Now, that's pure democracy in action. But wait a minute, you say the majority should rule. Yes, but not to the extent of destroying the rights of the minority.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, we are no longer describing a democracy. We are speaking of a republic. A republic is a limited democracy. It's a form of government based upon the principle of limited majority rule. Limited, so that the minority even a minority of one can be protected against the whims and passions of the majority.
And how do you protect the minority from the majority? You write down a set of rules on a piece of paper, you say this we can do that we cannot. At the top of the paper, you write the word Constitution, and then everyone agrees to follow the rules no matter what the temptation. And when you're finished, you've created a Constitutional Republic."
顺祝大家独立日快乐，美国生日快乐！
