To the Editor:

In the Oct. 22, 2020 Altamont Enterprise letter to the editor, “The essence of freedom is the proper limitation of government,” William Wilday makes the case that the United States is a republic not a democracy.

It is true that the framers of our Constitution feared direct democracy, with the excesses of the French Revolution clearly in mind. Their response was to set up a system with many undemocratic features, including limiting the vote to white men of property, an Electoral College, and election of U.S. senators by state legislatures.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary states that a republic is: “a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law (emphasis mine).” The question is: who is “them?”

Mr. Wilday seems unaware of the fact that threats to our freedom (“establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty” — Preamble to U.S Constitution) can occur from sources other than direct democracy.

What about oligarchy? It is no secret that federal and state legislatures are hugely influenced by money from a small group of special interests. The Koch brothers and other right-wing billionaires have, through their dark money, hugely influenced government to include tax breaks for the wealthy, elimination of environmental and safety regulations, voter suppression, gerrymandering, and the destruction of the social safety net. 

The solution? More democracy.

Steven Schreiber

Voorheesville