Republic or Democracy?

Taylor E. Hoynes, Jr., a Georgia realtor and grand American patriot, recently wrote what could be considered a seminal work on the American political system. The book, titled Republic or Democracy: Is There a Difference? (Colonial Publishing Co., 2011) explores the roots of America’s founding and the important difference between a democracy and a republic. It’s a fascinating work that’s especially relevant, given the current populist pushback against governmental overreach.

It should be noted that the book is a difficult read, given the publisher’s unfortunate choice of typography and constant switching between bold, italic and underlined text, but it’s well worth the effort, as the author’s passion for and understanding of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence provide a deep insight into American exceptionalism. Hoynes does a wonderful job of explaining the difference between a republic and a democracy and how those differences affect individuals living under each system. The nation’s founders never intended America to be a democracy, as they understood that majority rule in its simplest form meant mob rule. As such, the founders created a republican system of government, wherein the People elect individuals to represent their interest in the republic.

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One of the strongest points Hoynes makes is that without the concept of absolute Truth, as in God, the republic will not long survive. The commitment to moral, legal and political relativism to which our culture has devolved is a threat to the republic, because in such a climate, there can be no rules that apply equally to everyone. Reading Hoynes’s book is more than a discourse on America’s unique system of government. It’s also a valuable history lesson that relies heavily on the writings of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, as well as others, and what they had to say about the founding of the Republic. It appears the founders had a resolute commitment to truth and were strong believers in history. Hoynes quotes Thomas Jefferson’s 1781 Notes on the State of Virginia, wherein Jefferson showed his distrust “of the actions and designs of men.” His point was that in knowing history citizens can judge the motivations that drive unscrupulous individuals to attempt to wield unbridled power over their fellow citizens, sort of like what’s happening now at the local state and federal level all over America. Hoynes decries the fact that for over half a century American educators have stressed humanism and “situational ethics” over absolute truths. In the Declaration of Independence, the founders stated a series of absolute truths, which are indisputable: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Note that the founders ascribed the granting of these self-evident truths to the “creator,” or Supreme Being. This leads to the book’s second major theme, namely the importance of education and how we are failing our children’s future ability to enjoy “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” by depriving them of the tools of rational self-determination—knowledge. Hoynes notes that education is more focused on money than on knowledge and cites the past 60 years as an example of Americans throwing more and more money into an educational system that leads to ever-poorer results. The bottom line is that an educated society has the wherewithal to remain free of slavery and to be independent of welfare or government handouts. Again, this relates to the founders’ mistrust of the mob, which if allowed, will enrich itself from the public purse. Taylor Hoynes offers a remarkable insight into what makes America so special and how today Americans risk losing their most precious attribute, namely the ability to enjoy “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The book is available on line from Colonial Publishing Co. for $29.95 and well worth the money