The Trouble with Democracy: A Citizen Speaks Out

by William D. Gairdner

Book Overview

BACK IN PRINT The Trouble with Democracy shows that the ancient as well as American and Canadian democracies were established on practical social and political grounds vastly different from the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0773732829
• ISBN13: 9780773732827
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Stoddart
• Length: 534 Pages
• Weight: 1.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

The perils of democracy

~The Trouble With Democracy: A Citizen Speaks Out~ is a remarkable book, which examines the sacrosanct ideology of democracy. The warring utopian impulses that emanate from an ideology that professes an unbridled faith in man's capacity for self-government are reaching critical mass to produce a form of democracy never realized here thereto. The result is a novel illusion of greater personal freedom amidst pervasive state control in nearly aspect of life. **Gairdner makes it clear that the United States was not founded as a democracy, but rather as a constitutionally-limited federal republic under the rule of law, which places limits not only on the powers of government, but also on majority rule. The ideal was a government of laws and not of men. **Gairdner illustrates how core Christian concepts like original sin that were integral part of the political philosophy of the United States and the United Kingdom are under fire now. The rampant relativism in the body politic has obfuscated and maligned the Constitution and Anglo-American institutions of our founding fathers. **Gairdner notes that the much lauded democracy of Greco-Roman civilization was dependent upon slavery. Likewise, modern democracy which democratizes a considerable portion of society's productive resources is in actuality dependent upon tax slavery. **Gairdner proclaims that Hitler and Marx are both sons of the French Revolution, and can lay claim to being "Arch-Democrats." Thus, it really isn't so outrageous to call Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union democratic. **Gairdner explains how in appropriating the language for their own ends, collectivists have robbed political concepts of their true meaning, and they hide their Orwellian demagoguery behind a banner of "choice," "rights," and "freedom." Gairdner's contemporary political inquiry sees a profound paradox as citizens long for more personal freedoms yet grovel incessantly for more lifelong security, pecuniary assistance, and services from the state. This "libertarian socialism" as Gairdner deems it has given way to a civil war of values. It creates a façade of more personal freedom that masks the stark reality of all-encompassing controls by the state in nearly every aspect of life. Perhaps totalitarianism will again visit us, as this phenomenon reaches a crescendo. Alexis de Tocqueville conceptualized it as democratic despotism. If we do not learn lessons from history then we might not be able to reverse this trend which implodes Western civilization. The absurdity where capital punishment is steadily outlawed while state-sponsored infanticide and euthanasia is rampant is a bleak indicator of a body politic with warped priorities. As the sanctity of life of murderers is considered inviolable while an unborn child is considered dispensable, an alarm of concern should go off! Yet our contemporary society is complacent. Also, while obscenity legislation and community standards of decency are being stamped out by amoral c

A Short Commentary

If you got past the 8th grade perhaps you will recall that all the Founding Fathers were for Liberty but against Democracy. This, once acknowledged, is usually forgotton since Greek and Roman learning was excluded from our schools by the Marxists who believed in "majority rule". Just look at what happened to the Marxist societies. They wanted "Democracy" because it subjected everyone to government controls, not because it gave anyone any freedom. Just try living the life your neighbors want you to lead and you'll immediatly see the flaw of "democracy". The real effect of "majority rule is to give the government complete control over your neighbors so you can rule them. However,the unspoken message is that they also rule you. Everyone interested in Political Freedom should read this book. Gairdner is in a class by himself, perhaps because he knows History.