Inkwell Institute

The College of Political Knowledge

Professor’s Classroom

Subject:  Government/Representation/

Paper #22

After watching and ranting about the government and its misfires, I feel I need to talk about our form of representation….it is our pride and joy…our representative form of democracy….of our Republic.

you want the representative form of government but what type of representation do you want?  Yes, Irene, there are several types of representation and our Founders knew this….so what type do you prefer?

The truth of the matter is that your representation SUCKS!

With that out of the way, let us look at the different types and those that pushed the various forms of representation……

There is a reactionary theory of representation….Alexander Hamilton was a believer…the theory is based on the need for law and authority, the executive, the leader of the government, and legislative branch would rule in the interests of the people, as they determined the interests.  The people would have their input but the politicians being of superior knowledge and judgment and that they should not be hindered by popular sentiment.  And that the masses are required to support the decisions of the leaders since they, the leaders, were acting in the people’s best interests.

James Madison was a believer in the conservative theory of representation, which grants the people control but discourages their public participation in the act of governing.  People chose their leaders but do not have the right to force them to act and behave in a very particular way.  The people may replace representative only at a prescribed time, a election and with people of the same class as the ones they had, the elites.

The liberal theory of representation was embraced by Thomas Jefferson, that All people were equal and in as such were equally qualified to rule.  This form of representation sees the representative as a messenger of his/her constituents.  Thus the Rep is obliged to vote the way of the people’s concerns.

Finally the is the radical theory of representation of which only one of our Founders (even if he is ignored) believed and that would be Thomas Paine.  This theory proposes that the vast citizenry should have the call as to policy of the nation.  This theory holds that the people are the only ones capable of governing themselves.  This is what we today call direct democracy and the only true form of representation…but this will never happen….it is NOT what politicians want…..they want input (on a limited basis) but they do NOT want the public to participate in policy.

There has been an argument for decades, even centuries on whether the Reps should be concerned with the people’s will or their interests.  What is your opinion on representation?