The Pothole Prairie column was interesting but missed the important third leg of our unique form of government: the Constitution.

The United States of America could be more correctly described as a democratic constitutional republic. Reading “Change to Chains” by William J. Federer, where he chronicles forms of government since the beginning of civilization, the author describes a democracy as the concept of people ruling themselves, a republic as the form of representative government and a constitution as the set of rules that the representatives and citizens have to follow.

If our country were merely the representational democracy as described in the column, our senators and representatives could vote anything they want into law.

Our founders showed great insight by writing the Constitution which limits the power of government and guarantees rights to citizens that may not be infringed by the Congress and executive branch.

 

Larry Forster

Riceland Township