The citizens of a republic must bear an enormous burden. The weight and future of the nation rests solely on their shoulders. Unlike their many counterparts around the world, who consider themselves to be subjects of the king, or comrades of the state, the citizen of a republic owes his allegiance solely to the rule of law. The law is created by the people themselves through their legislators and other citizens are hired to ensure that those laws are obeyed by all equally.
Despite the fact that many politicians today use the term “democracy” in reference to the political system of the United States, nothing could be further from the truth or more intentionally misleading. The citizen of a democracy owes his allegiance solely to the majority opinion, that is a recipe for all sorts of abuses and tyranny of the majority. The distinction is important. A republic defends the interests of the minority against the will of the majority through the rule of law.
