Opinion: Eroding the Constitution — Prop. 50

Always stand on principle,

even if you stand alone.

— John Adams,

Second U.S. President

Let’s face it. The United States is not and never has been a true democracy. But we began the grand experiment with a document that was close. Only it was not as close as we’ve been led to believe. 

The concept of democracy can be traced back to Greece in the fifth century B.C. when men (but not women, slaves, or foreigners) could participate in decision-making. The philosophers at that time called the governance system “demokratia,” joining two words, demos (people) and kratos (rule). However unlike the U.S. system, every vote by eligible voters counted in determining how the society would be governed.

Flash forward

In the late eighteenth century, the “Founding Fathers” modeled our governing documents after the ancient Greek system. Men (but not women, slaves, or foreigners) could vote. Well, not all men. Landowners, only. But over the years, the system changed, little by little.