American "democracy"

Someone recently asked me, "How do you decide what is a state issue and whats federal?"

Well, I DON'T.

The Constitution already did that.

It carefully limited and enumerated Federal powers; printing money, regulating interstate commerce, levying taxes, tariffs, fees, providing for the common defense and specifically leaves ALL other issues and responsibilities to the individual states, by the 10th Amendment; "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

There are no "rights" outside of what are guaranteed in the 1st 10 Amendments (freedom of speech, of worship, of self defense, of assembly, freedom of association (to associate only with those you wish), the freedom to be secure in our homes (private property rights), and localized, limited governance.

We have NO "right" to share in what others have, no "right" to government assistance. There are no innate, or natural rights that allow some to share that which is created and owned by others. Private property rights make such things impossible.

Moreover, we've ALL accepted the right of individual states to have differing penalties for crimes (TX has the death penalty and uses it, NY/NJ do not) and even to restrict things (like abortion) that other states do not. A 2017 Arkansas law required that an aborted fetus be treated as the body of any family member. (https://www-m.cnn.com/…/arkansas-abortion-law-t…/index.html…). As usual, CNN's headline is misleading (hint: it doesn't), but I feel it's a VERY BAD bill, though I respect Arkansas' right, as a state to do so. The people's local representatives apparently delivered the will of that group of people.

We (in the USA) are NOT a democracy. NEVER have been.

America's Founders were ALL rabidly anti democratic. Jefferson called democracy, "mob rule" and Ben Franklin said, “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what they are going to have for lunch.”

They were both 100% right!

It was THEIR respect for minority rights (they saw themselves, the wealthy, well educated land owners as a "despised minority") that allowed for such a thing as "The Civil Rights Movement."

Yes...minority rights DON'T exist in a democracy. The most creative, productive and wealthy COULD find themselves at the mercy of those poorer and less educated and productive than themselves...ALWAYS with tragic consequences.

That's why the Founder's in their wisdom, restricted the vote to educated, property owners, had the Senate selected by state legislatures and established the Electoral College.

I STILL support ALL of those things.