Why Is Democracy Held In Such High Esteem When It’s The Enemy Of The Minority?

{Editor’s Note: This is the 30th installment of a series of articles attempting to address the 32 questions posed by Ron Paul in his recent farewell speech given in front of Congress. Check out the previous installment, “Why Do We Allow The Government To Disseminate False Information Dealing With Both Economic And Foreign Policy”}The majority of citizens in the United States believe the founders intended this country to operate under a democratic form government.  These same people would likely proclaim that democracy is the ideal government for free people to thrive.  They                would be incorrect on both counts.  The reason for this misconception can be attributed to misinformation taught in the public school system and reinforced throughout life by the mainstream media.  Public schools, being controlled by the state, serve to indoctrinate children into believing that democracy and freedom go together like peanut butter and jelly.  Our children are instructed to think this way, by design, in order to continue the destruction of property rights with approval from the majority.  Democracy is essentially tyranny of the majority.  Not only is democracy a morally bankrupt form of government, but it serves to enhance the power of the state and destroy the rights of free individuals.There is frequent confusion regarding the economic factors that contribute to communist governments or dictatorships experiencing failure.  The reason for failure is misinterpreted and blame is assigned to the manner in which politicians are elected, rather than focusing on the dangerous effects the State seizing ownership of private property.   Hans-Herman Hoppe expands eloquently on this concept and states a strong case against democracy in an article published in 2001 titled Down with Democracy.

......it must be made clear again that the idea of democracy is immoral as well as uneconomical. As for the moral status of majority rule, it must be pointed out that it allows for A and B to band together to rip off C, C and A in turn joining to rip off B, and then B and C conspiring against A, etc. This is not justice but a moral outrage, and rather than treating democracy and democrats with respect, they should be treated with open contempt and ridiculed as moral frauds. On the other hand, as for the economic quality of democracy, it must be stressed relentlessly that it is not democracy but private property, production, and voluntary exchange that are the ultimate sources of human civilization and prosperity. In particular, contrary to widespread myths, it needs to be emphasized that the lack of democracy had essentially nothing to do with the bankruptcy of Russian-style socialism. It was not the selection principle for politicians that constituted socialism's problem. It was politics and political decision-making as such. Instead of each private producer deciding independently what to do with particular resources, as under a regime of private property and contractualism, with fully or partially socialized factors of production each decision requires someone else's permission. It is irrelevant to the producer how those giving permission are chosen. What matters to him is that permission must be sought at all. As long as this is the case, the incentive of producers to produce is reduced and impoverishment will result. Private property is as incompatible with democracy, then, as with any other form of political rule. Rather than democracy, justice as well as economic efficiency require a pure and unrestricted private property society — an 'anarchy of production' — in which no one rules anybody, and all producers' relations are voluntary, and thus mutually beneficial.

We have been misguided from an early age to believe that democracy is the key to a free society.  A democratic society has the same ability to infringe upon private property rights as a communist or fascist form of government.  It does not matter if your property rights are stolen by neighbors voting on how best to utilize your property or property rights have been completely ceded to the community, as is the case with communism.  The outcome is the same.  Where a system of voluntary exchange of property is impeded by the State, the benefits of free market exchange of property will be greatly reduced.Why is democracy held in such high esteem when it’s the enemy of the minority and makes all rights relative to the dictates of the majority?Contrary to what we are taught while being “educated” by the public school system, the word democracy is not found one time in our nation’s two most important founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  Misinformation regarding democracy is vital in allowing the ruling class to continue to steal liberty from the individual and enhance their own power.Democratic voting has proven that if individuals believe they have a say in the State’s policy decisions, then they are much less likely to be opposed to the state’s infringement on property rights.  By nature, humans are a broken and selfish species.  Each one of us thinks that we know what is best for the population as a whole.  Majority rule takes this concept and puts it to the test.  It is presumptuous for those in favor of majority rule to believe that 51% of the population has found the best way to      allocate decision making regarding the private property of the other 49%  of the population.  To believe that this is freedom is to not believe in private property ownership.  To not believe in private property ownership is to not believe in liberty.  The ruling class, by endorsing the democratic process, is teaching individuals that it is ok to steal your neighbor’s property as long as 51% of the neighborhood agrees.In closing, please take three minutes to view the below video of Dr. Walter E. Williams, titled Democratic Tyranny.  Dr. Williams is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University.  Dr. Williams does a fantastic job of relating the absurdity of delegating policy decisions to the rule of the majority by relating these decisions to ones that occur in everyday life.Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!