A Republic, If You Can Keep It

After the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a Republic or a Monarchy?” to which Franklin famously replied, “A Republic, madam, if you can keep it!”

Since then, it’s been our responsibility as citizens to be good stewards of our nation and keep our country out of the clutches of tyranny. So far, we’ve been successful.

But as we pointed out in our last entry, our Republic is under attack on multiple fronts. From the university to the entertainment industry, our founding principles and Christian ethics are being undermined and demonized. 

The state has used such cover to grow beyond its prescribed domain and infringe on the God-given rights of the people. It's up to the free men of the Republic to stand up and resist the growing tyranny. But what steps can you take to help save the Republic?

Knowledge is key

A good first steps is to educate yourself thoroughly on our nation’s founding principles and how they’re applicable to today’s governance, such as: 

• The separation of government powers and how the three branches of government are not, in fact, coequal, 
• the desire to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority, 
• Why anti-federalist arguments against federalism were an important part of our Constitution,
• If the Second Amendment only covers muskets, why doesn’t the First Amendment only permit quill-and-ink on parchment?

The next step is to engage in respectful conversations about them. This won’t be easy, as people’s beliefs are often deeply entrenched, just as yours may be. Some tips:

• Be able to calmly debate the topic without resorting to personal attacks
• Understand that part of your goal is to influence those whose minds might be undecided on the topic. 
• Taking a Socratic approach could elicit ideas they (or you) hadn’t considered before. 
• If you can learn to make your opponent’s arguments for them, you’ll be in a better position to address their points.

“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.” -- Pericles

All politics is local

Other steps you can take are to contact your representatives and senators to let them know where you stand. Get your like-minded family, friends, and acquaintances to do the same. The saying “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” definitely applies to politics, because the elected officials understand when their actions are being watched. 

Closely following this is voting, which is expressly affirming or holding accountable the legislators representing you. If voting seems ineffective, supporting the politician’s opponent can help hold them accountable or it puts new representation in office. 

You can also volunteer your time or donate money to candidates who support the positions you do, and if you can’t find one, consider running for office yourself. 

I took that step 18 years ago, when I ran for public office for the city in which I live. Although I wasn’t successful, my efforts changed how the city did a lot of things and brought a lot of awareness to the city council that wasn’t there before. The additional scrutiny stopped several bad programs from happening and kept a couple of others from getting worse.

Running for office isn’t anything to treat lightly, but there comes a time when it makes the most sense of available options. It takes a thick skin, a good plan, self-confidence, and a lot of sacrifice to do it.

Keeping the Republic is simple. Nobody said it was going to be easy.