February 2022

ACH Study Groups
Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders
7659 Gingerblossom Drive
Citrus Heights, CA 95621
916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com
www.ACHStudyGroups.com
Thursday, February 10, 2022

This is a letter to our friends –

When does democracy work?

DEMOC̵´RACY, n. [Gr. δημοκρατια; δημος, people, and κρατεω, to possess, to govern.]
Government by the people; a form of government, in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of the people collectively, or in which the people exercise the powers of legislation. Such was the government of Athens. [Webster 1828]]

“Government by the people” sounds like a good idea – but – it only works in a small group.

Let’s consider a New England colonial town. The city limits were set by how far one walked to the meeting house (usually a church). Every citizen voted on every issue. Think, “majority rule”.

The town’s only well needed an expensive replacement. Every citizen was required to share the expense. That was a real hardship on the widow Brown with her 9 children! She worked hard to care for her kids. The older ones did what they could to help, but the water tax would cause Mrs. Brown to make some hard choices. She had 10 tax shares.

The character of the town was good. Mrs. Brown’s share was quietly covered by neighbors.

Suppose I am wrong about the town’s character. Every time her neighbors pass the Browns’ house they see her kids, wearing ragged clothes and losing weight. Conscience is a powerful self-policing force. In small groups the majority is aware of the impact of their decisions upon the minority. Not so, when the group grows too large. The majority can become a mob, motivated by emotion.

REPUB´LIC̵, n. [L. respublica; res and publica; public affairs.] 1. A commonwealth; a state in which the exercise of the sovereign power is lodged in representatives elected by the people. In modern usage, it differs from a democracy or democratic state, in which the people exercise the powers of sovereignty in person. Yet the democracies of Greece are often called republics… [ Webster 1828]

In a republic, the minority has a representative to speak in their behalf. Once a group grows too large the minority is often overlooked. (In a lynch-mob, only one man objects!)

That is why our founders tried to break down the large groups into subgroups. Before the 17th amendment (1914), the two senators from each state were to be elected by their state legislatures. California has 40 state senators and 80 assemblymen. Thus originally, our senators were answerable to only 120 electors. But – Those electors, in turn, were answerable to smaller state districts.

Since 1914 our senators are answerable to the whole state-wide electorate! So much for Mrs. Brown! A senator answerable to 39 million voters is answerable to no one! Who is going to gather enough votes to challenge him.

These columns are archived since 12/10/09
See www.ACHStudyGroups.com
“Ben’s Blog”

ACH Study Groups
Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders
7659 Gingerblossom Drive
Citrus Heights, CA 95621
916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com
www.ACHStudyGroups.com
Wednesday, February 2, 2022

This is a letter to our friends –

Random thoughts

When an election is reported by the fake media to be “getting tighter”. Expect this to be code for, “We are about to steal this election.” Mike Lindell has overwhelming evidence that computer fraud is able to determine vote counts. Realize please, that – if we do not fix the vote fraud and return to local precinct, paper ballots, and accurate (not inflated) voter rolls – it doesn’t matter how you vote! I suspect the vote machine companies may have been charging high prices from incumbent politicians who fear a loss in an honest count.

Inspiring! —
https://gettr.com/post/prelb70c2a

“We have staked the whole future of American civilization not on the power of government, far from it. We have staked the whole of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the commandments of God. The future and success of America are not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded.” ~ James Madison

Regarding excessive amounts of military equipment stockpiled in Afghanistan – Who profits from replacing that equipment? I suspect – the same ones pushing the Ukraine conflict.

Good news! In Virginia a few men began gathering weekly to discus politics. The group grew quickly to over a hundred. It divided into 3 groups and grew. Now delegates are assigned to monitor & report on council and school board meetings. Citizens are getting involved.

Primary elections are where you choose (nominate) your candidates. General elections (in November) are where you choose between nominated candidates. It in important to nominate reliable, principled candidates. Once nominated, it becomes a numbers game to determine the majority party. Your mail box is about to be filled with slick “voter guides”. Most of them should be ignored! (A candidate can buy a recommendation from the guide’s publisher.) Rather, watch for voter guides that post answers to candidate position questions.
Down ticket candidates are important too. Try to attend debates. Invite them to come over and meet your neighbors.
Trump’s indorsements are significant. They usually flag the most reliable candidate AND their win builds Trump’s strength. If in doubt, I recommend going with Trump’s choice. There may be factors of which you are not aware.
Remember, liberals in both parties allow themselves to lie, cheat, and steal. Many may say they are indorsed. Few are chosen. Trust www.DonaldJTrump.com &
www.FrankSpeech.com
I hope you find these posts useful. These columns are archived since 12/10/09
See www.ACHStudyGroups.com
“Ben’s Blog”