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Letter: Enlightenment will preserve our foundation
Op-Ed · November 10, 2016
Winston Churchill famously said, “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others.”
However, my favorite Churchill quote is, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” This election may have proven his point, unfortunately.
For well over 200 years our Constitution has provided a blueprint for the peaceful democratic means of governing our nation. It has, often through long struggles, reached a point where every citizen has a say in who they want to lead us. The Constitution provides for regular election cycles to change that leadership if we are dissatisfied and for a peaceful transition of power after each election.
Our Constitution, in its first amendment, protects our freedom of speech and press which gives us the opportunity to present our arguments for and against candidates, as well as, for and against the issues concerning us. The first ten amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights, was added upon adoption of the Constitution specifically to protect the rights of the minority and individuals.
The question before us now as a nation is: Can we withstand this challenge to our democratic republic by an angry minority which has taken control of the Republican Party and threatens to ignore the results of an election, to resist the peaceful transition of power and to spare no effort to obstruct and delegitimatize our democratically elected leaders?
The creators of our Constitution were well-informed and thoughtful, having studied all the prior and existing types of government. They read the great writings from the “Age of Enlightenment” by John Locke, Voltaire and Rousseau which invoked the ideals of liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government and separation of church and state. They knew the importance of an educated citizenry in the governance of a free society.
We have just endured a campaign during which one major political party has appealed to the baser instincts of mankind, incited violence and stirred hatred, questioned the electoral process and created an atmosphere in which it will be near impossible to resolve any of the problems we face as a nation.
It is time for a “New Age of Enlightenment” because we need to raise the level of knowledge of our citizens, of the “average voter,” if we are to have any hope of keeping our nation resting on the “Solid Foundation” built by the founders of The Constitution of the United States of America.
Larry Hodgden
Tipton
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