We've all heard of an absolute democracy. It's democracy taken to its furthest extreme, in which 51% of people are allowed to dictate to the other 49% in every tiny matter. And we all know it doesn't work, which is why virtually all successful democracies are in fact republics, in which the masses vote for representatives, who in turn make decisions for them on individual issues.
However, it seems our current model incorporates a little too much democracy and not enough republic, as practically all developed countries are rife with the exact same corruption that is problematic in an absolute democracy. Namely that a select group of people with large amounts of influence can scheme behind the scenes to manipulate public opinion in any direction they want, ensuring they will continue to be reelected.
So if representative government is preferable, what would an absolute republic look like? And would it solve the problems of corruption inherent to governments that are heavy on democracy? Instead of going into a lengthy explanation, let me tell you a story.
John Everyman is a small business owner in Anywhere, USA, a little town in middle America like any other. He's neither poor nor wealthy, and what money he does have he invests in the local economy. He's active in the community, regularly participating in city government and school board meetings; but he's not very happy with the way the town is being managed. Which is why he runs for city council, eventually winning a seat, and for the next seven years he writes and passes legislation that improves the lives of his constituents.
As his one and only seven year term is coming to an end, and that year's elections are held, he's surprised when his fellow city councilmen elect him to represent their town on the county seat. And after seven years serving on the county seat, he's surprised again when he's elected to represent the county in the state legislature. Another seven years pass, and beyond all his expectations, he is then elected by his fellow state legislators to represent the state in congress.
Knowing that he's limited to one term, and not having to worry about reelection, John votes in congress with his conscience alone. Some of his decisions are unpopular, but he knows in his heart that he's doing what's best for the people who put him in office. And while he doesn't always agree with his fellow congressmen, he respects them, because, like him, he knows they're doing what their consciences dictate.
Sure, there are a few he suspects of taking a bribe, but they're the minority, and will likely get caught. Without a stable community of career politicians, the lobbyists simply don't know who they can trust, or even who will be in a position to help them. With literally any of the thousands of local, small town politicians being eventual congressional candidates, the lobbyists can't groom insiders like they once did.
But John Everyman is no exception. Every election cycle, good, honest men are put in positions of authority all over the country, thanks to their highly republican system of government. Most importantly, everyone who voted for John knew him personally. They were his friends, neighbors, coworkers, and customers. And in his later career, from county level on up, they were the people he served with for seven years. They had gotten to know him on a very personal level, and over the years came to respect his honesty and integrity, as well as his intelligence. Many of them, like him, were small businessmen, and, as such, were very concerned with the wellbeing of their local economies. They all knew good and well that they likely wouldn't be in politics for very long, so they wanted to ensure that they had something to return to once their terms were up.
And more than anything they wanted to go back home with their heads held high. Unlike the politicians of yesteryear, these men didn't have the luxury of barricading themselves in their ivory towers. Most of them didn't start out wealthy, and public service certainly didn't increase their chances of becoming wealthy. In other words, they know they have to be able to face their constituents when they return home, and live with the decisions they made while in public service for the rest of their lives.
Contrast John's story with our current system. We elect our leaders democratically at every level, meaning that we have no personal experience with any of them, especially on a federal level. Moreover, they are brought to us by established parties and have likely been groomed for much of their lives by lobbyists with special interests. As such, we have created a ruling class that has no loyalty to us or concern for our wellbeing. Why then should it be any surprise when they stab us in the back? And if the voters should catch on and vote them out of office, the political machine that created them has yet another stuffed suit waiting in the wings to replace them. The political system in this country is so disconnected from the voters that we might as well be voting for American Idol instead, because no matter who we elect, nothing is going to change under the current system.
On the other hand, by imposing republican government on every level, we ensure that there is constant diversity and change within our political system. And by imposing term limits across the board we ensure that there are no career politicians, meaning those in office are everyday people with interests outside of office, where you and I live.
But there's still more that we can do to fix government. In addition to strict term limits, we can impose a two thirds majority rule across the board, to ensure that only the most urgent legislation gets passed. We can also constitutionally limit the number of laws allowed to be on the books at any given time, thus requiring politicians to repeal laws before they can pass new ones. Additionally, we can require all legislators to cast their vote before a law can be passed, ending the practice of holding surprise sessions in the dark of night, plus require that bills be of a manageable length so that they can be read aloud before they're voted on, thereby ensuring that all legislators have actually read the bill before they vote.
Most importantly, we can impose the same absolute republican system on the justice department, meaning that all judges in the country will be elected and subject to the same seven year term limit, including the supreme court!