The Down Side of Democracy

The projected date of default of U.S. treasury obligations looms like the shadow of El Capitan does over pretty Yosemite Valley. As I write this post, the deadline arrives next week. Congress is busy, but at the wrong things . . . busy voting on partisan legislation as they prepare for the next round of elections in 2012--knowing full well that the current bills will never pass both House and Senate or be signed by the President. Even within each political party there is wide disagreement. All observers agree that the Congress is pathetically dysfunctional.

We are witnessing one of the downsides of democracy. Our leaders are producing political campaign fodder instead of skillful agreements. All this pushing and shoving is just jacking around on a narrow trail that leads the country past a dangerous ledge--way down at the bottom of which is a wrecked economy . . . and the beginning of our new chapter in world history as a second-rate, has-been world power. Did you know that the Netherlands was once the world superpower? Portugal was big time! It can happen. China and Brazil are no longer economic slouches.

At the risk of sounding somehow unAmerican, I must pass on what I learned from the teaching of Charles Simpson, an Alabama pastor in the 1980's. He said that democracy is not the best form of government, but monarchy by an all-powerful, all-wise, all-merciful king. In other words, democracy may be the best government formed by men on earth. But as we are witnessing now, democracy can be weak and indecisive, even foolish. A king who knows the right thing to do simply declares it. 'Nuf said. The kingdom of heaven will some day rule the earth in the person of King Jesus. And only then will we have the perfect government.