What is wrong with democracy in America? Well, for starters we do not live in a democracy. According to Wikipedia, democracy is "is a form of government in which all eligible people have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal (and more or less direct) participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law." We live in a "constitutional republic" a form of government John Adams defined as a a government of laws, and not of men. Constitutional republics attempt to weaken the threat of "majoritarnianism" and protect dissenting individuals and minority groups from a "tyranny of the majority" by placing checks on the power of the majority of the population. The power of the majority of the people is limited to electing representatives who legislate within the limits of an overarching constitutional law that a simple majority cannot modify. This, of course, can make our form of government frustratingly slow and sloppy, but the goal is to ensure our freedoms are not encroached upon.

Plainly by definition, our government was designed to be based on compromise to prevent "tyranny of the majority", or any other form of tyranny. The fundamental form of our government came about via a compromise known as "The Great Compromise" or the "Connecticut Compromise" that led to our having a bicameral legislature, that is, a legislature consisting of two bodies, House and Senate. So, even before we had a Constitution, the founders of our nation recognized the need for compromise.

And yet. And yet. Today we find our country oddly enough held hostage by a tyrant - none other than "ideology". Thus, ideology in this extreme becomes fanaticism and tyranny, neither an acceptable position for a representative elected by the people. So, what has gone wrong?