Understanding the Constitution and the Form of Government It Establishes

The United States was established as a republic, a form of government that is neither a monarchy nor a hereditary head of state. Instead, the government operates through a representative democracy, often also referred to as an indirect democracy.

What is a Constitutional Government?

A constitutional government is a system in which the powers of the government are defined, limited, and regulated by a written constitution. This constitution serves as the supreme law of the land, setting out the principles and rules that govern the functioning of the government and the rights and freedoms of the citizens. In a constitutional government, the powers of different branches of government, such as the executive, legislative, and judicial, are separated and defined. Each branch has its own specific responsibilities and powers to ensure that no single person or group has too much power. This system is designed to protect individual liberties and promote the rule of law.

Governance and Forms of Government

Governance involves the use of government to implement and enforce laws and policies within a society. A form of government, on the other hand, specifies the decision-making process, usually detailed in a document called a Constitution. A nation is the instantiation of that specified process.

Humanity can be organized into social structures through laws made by humans, not by chance or by machines. There are only two fundamental rule-making paradigms:

These are the essential choices, and no other systems are possible. A democracy is rule by the majority, while an oligarchy is rule by a minority.

Monarchy as a Form of Oligarchy

A monarchy is a sub-form of oligarchy, where the minority that makes the rules is a single person. Even if a king is elected every four years, it is still a monarchy. The king retains the power to make rules, regardless of how he or she came to power. An election may make it a democratic monarchy, but it is not a democracy because the ultimate decisions are made by the single ruler.

Republic: A Public-Made Government

The term republic historically refers to a form of government where the process for making decisions of enacting and enforcing law and policy is a public matter, not owned and controlled by a few or a minority. In a republic, the ultimate authority lies with the public, and representatives are chosen through a democratic process to ensure representation.

During the formation of the United States, the Founding Fathers believed that by using a democratic process to choose representatives, the public would be represented. They presumed that this would ensure that the public would have the ultimate authority insofar as decisions of law and policy were concerned.

Current Form of Government in the United States

The current form of government in the United States is specified such that a small minority of people, Congress, make the rules. According to Article One, Section One of the Constitution, Congress has the ultimate authority. This makes the system an oligarchy, not a republic.

A republic is a sub-form of democracy, but the US government is an oligarchy. There needs to be a change towards a true representation of the public.

Fixing the System

To address this, a REAL republic or a REAL representative democracy must be specified. The most successful propaganda in this context is the false assertion that the US has a democracy. Rejecting this and starting to think about the kind of government that would better represent the public is crucial.