DEMOCRACY AT RISK?

 

[I sent the following letter in response to an article that appeared in the alumni magazine of Boston University.]

I have concerns about some of the assertions made by several BU faculty in "Is Our Democracy at Risk?" (Summer 2024).

First, the United States is a constitutional republic, a restrained form of democracy with checks and balances among three co-equal branches of government, a two-house national legislature, and an electoral system of selecting the president. To simply say the US is a democracy is to raise assumptions our Founders never intended.

Second, no evidence is presented with the assertion of voter suppression. Indeed, required photo ID is easily acquired and is not a barrier to the franchise. While there is no evidence of widespread. voter fraud, as long as humans and not angels voting, there will be fraud and voter IDs help in maintaining trust that our votes truly count.

Third, and finally, extreme left progressivism. along with extreme right populism, moves us to,  ward authoritarianism. The Wilson Administration during World War I in making it a criminal offense to oppose our entry into the war and the police forces firing paint balls at perceived Covid 19 lockdown violators in Governor Walz's Minnesota are but two examples.

I trust that future articles of this sort published in the Bostonia will be more balanced and nuanced, reflecting the complexities of our federal system.

Joe D. Marlow, D.Min.

Wheelock '78

Olathe, KS