Questions & Answers
In the Category: Foundations of the Republic
- #FOUND1 In what country do you live? In the United States of America.
- #FOUND2 Why is this country called the United States of America? Because it is made up of a number of States which were once separate, but afterwards agreed to unite together for specific purposes.
- #FOUND3 What is meant by "state?" By "state" is meant any district or country whose people are all under a common government.
- #FOUND4 Had then the different States which united together each a government of its own? Yes; but they agreed to put themselves all under one general or federal government.
- #FOUND5 Why did they do this? To accomplish certain tasks easier than could be done alone.
- #FOUND6 Is a governmental framework necessary to every country? Certainly; with no governmental framework, our property and liberties would be in jeopardy.
- #FOUND7 Cannot all the people of a country govern themselves? No. God instituted government to punish the wicked and reward the good by administering justice.
- #FOUND8 How is this done? Laws are enacted which must be obeyed by all; with disobedience bringing punishment by the government through the exercise of force.
- #FOUND9 Who enacts these laws? In America laws must be legislated; that is, they are passed into law by elected legislatures. Occasionally, men try to pronounce laws that are not passed by such a legislative process.
- #FOUND10 What is such a non legislative government called? This kind of government, one in which laws are made binding without passing a legislatures, is called despotism or tyranny.
- #FOUND11 Why are laws passed by legislatures, and not directly by the people? That is called a democracy, but America is not a democracy. We are a representative republic, wherein we vote officials into power to legislate on our behalf.
- #FOUND12 Why is America not a democracy? It is impractical for all the people to gather in a single assembly. Likewise, not all people have the moral, mental or spiritual aptitude to directly govern through democracy.
- #FOUND13 Which of these ways of governing a nation is best? The best government governs the least, while yet protecting life, liberty and property.
- #FOUND14 Why do people obey government? Because the government has the legal means to punish by the forced confiscation of property and the exercising of violence upon those who disobey.
- #FOUND15 Cannot the people resist the government? This has sometimes been done, and is sometimes necessary. There are certain ways to resist governmental power that are legal, and others that are not.