Democracy's Last Stand

You may think you live in a Democracy, but technically, you live in a Republic. In a Democracy, each person has a vote and governmental decisions are made per your vote. In a Republic, each person uses that vote to elect representatives to go off and do the governmenting for us. Since you elect city council, county commission, state and national representatives and senators, and (I'm hoping) your president, you live in a Republic.

Don't worry; that doesn't make you a Republican, though you have the right to be wrong if you'd like (smirk).

But there IS a place where Democracy still thrives. It's the tiny state of Vermont. Why does Democracy thrive there and not elsewhere? Because ever since about 1760 on the first Tuesday in March, nearly every one of Vermont's 180 towns and cities has what they call Town Meeting. Town Meeting is the definition of economy of language because the town...(how shall I put this?) meets.

And when they do, they determine how to spend the town's taxes. There's a yearly budget and people stand up and say they need more snow plowing out on their road. They say their school doesn't buy enough library books. They say that the town's gazebo needs a new paint job. They fashion their town in the way they want it to be.

They say a lot of other things, too. Some towns considered resolutions condemning the war in Iraq. Other towns considered seceding from Vermont over taxation issues. For a state known for its quiet reserve, some town meetings get surpisingly contentious. And why not? Is Democracy supposed to be some pristeen, scrubbed-clean history-book item? No, it's raw and gritty and it sometimes may even need a bath.

The state of Vermont understands its unique situation with Town Meeting and promotes it to young and old alike. And why not? As we find out--and always too late--"we don't know what we got 'til it's gone..." It's a point of pride in Vermont that with all the changes that have come about, there's something that's gone essentially unchanged for centuries.

What's a Town Meeting look like? I think calling it glamorous might be a stretch. But its direct and neighborly honesty is something you won't find in spit-n-polished city council meetings out in the rest of the world.

I think we could all use a little more Democracy in our world, though I don't think this form of government would necessarily transfer well to places outside of Vermont. But I'm glad to think it exists there, aren't you?

In the mean time, you can still participate in your Republic. But DO try to remember this one adage: Friends Don't Let Friends Become Republicans!