Rod Grams: “there is a march toward democracy afoot in America today. That statement may seem surprising; after all, why would such…”

“there is a march toward democracy afoot in America today. That statement may seem surprising; after all, why would such a movement be needed? We Americans take pride in the fact that our Government is based on the pursuit of democracy--in the words of Abraham Lincoln, ``a government of the people, by the people and for the people.'' And that principle should have as much relevance today as it did when President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address 130 years ago--but does it? In theory perhaps, but as a practical matter, it seems that the words of Lincoln have been steadily eroded by the recent surge in the size and power of the Federal Government. And with that growth in Washington has come the slow but unmistakable shift in power from the people to the government. Under a democracy, government is needed to establish and enforce the fundamental rules by which our society operates--with the express support of the people. It is there to protect the rights of individuals and to step in when those rights come into conflict--to resolve disputes between people, not to create them. But in recent years, the American people have been forced to watch Government expand its role in our daily lives through the use of laws, rules, and regulations--to the point of interference. Instead of receiving its power from the people, it has usurped that authority and as a result, abandoned any sense of public accountability.”