Mobocracy

"Do you hear that, Mr Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability."
--Agent Smith (The Matrix)

Occaisionally on these pages, we've observed the incompatibility between democracy, defined as a governmental system grounded in majority decision-making, and liberty (e.g., here, here, here).

GMU professor Walter Williams recently penned an insightful missive on the subject.

The central idea, one that can be linked to thought that founded this country, is that people are born with natural rights that are not granted by any individual, group, or governing body. Those same entities have no just claim over those rights either.

Democratic process is sure to infringe on natural rights--because over time special interest groups that can amass enough votes can trample the natural rights of the minority. Mob rule.

The Framers understood the poor fit between democracy and liberty. Their idea was to design a government grounded in the rule of law instead of the arbitrary rule of bureaucrats.

The Framers' idea remains radical to this day. Mob rule remains conventional thinking and practice.