OP-ED: We shouldn’t surrender our individual rights to authoritarianism
An article in The New Republic by Mike Podhorzer describes this reality: “This country was founded with one nation, which was born with slavery and with a very theocratic, illiberal bent, and another nation that was committed to a more commercial, innovative, secular culture. And because the treaty, which we call the Constitution, was built in many ways for those two nations to retain the integrity of those beliefs, we have not gotten past that reality over the last 250 years.”
He went on to add that recent Supreme Court decisions have amplified these separations.
So, what’s going on politically in the United States? There is an amplified effort to fracture our belief systems. It’s intended to push us deeper into a binary stand of being in either the red or blue camp. The true heroes in this scenario are those people who can remain independent thinkers and who are unfettered by the made-up, fear-producing histrionics emitting from either set of extreme radical belief peddlers.
Having said that, however, because of voting decisions being made because of our collective frustrations, some seem to be heading closer and closer to recognizing authoritarianism as a guiding principle for running the United States government.
It’s important to remain clear-headed and understand that authoritarian governments prioritize control and order. By doing that, they require citizens to sacrifice personal liberties and place greater emphasis on the supremacy of the state over the individual citizen. Frequently, these authoritarian regimes are led by egocentric, narcissistic dictators. In contrast, democracies were created to prioritize individual rights and liberties while recognizing the autonomy of each citizen.
Authoritarian governments concentrate power in the hands of a select few. Such a limited power structure often leads to a significant absence of much-needed checks and balances. These shortcomings can result in abuses of power, concentrated corruption, and a significant loss of individual liberties. In the absence of mechanisms to hold leaders accountable, citizens may experience a sense of hopelessness and fear of the state. Think about Russia, Iran, North Korea, and now even countries like Hungary and Turkey.
Our democratic form of government has taken some very big hits since its founding. Manipulation of voting rights through redistricting and gerrymandering has undermined the goal of power-sharing with our citizens and has resulted in our election process being questioned by the losers for their own benefit.
Democratic governments are built on a fundamental system of separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, which all serve to check each branch’s authority. Tampering with these separations in ways that we have observed over the past several years diminishes the government’s accountability.
These politically created flaws can lead individuals who have not experienced true autocracy to believe authoritarian rule, where certain freedoms are voluntarily surrendered in exchange for security and protection, is preferable to democracy.
For those supporting these concepts to re-secure power, they must continue to create fear among us through conspiracy theories, twisted social issues, and lies to feed the idea for change to a strongman rule as a better alternative.
However, the ultimate strength of democracy is about the worth and dignity of each person. Democracies are oriented toward protecting rights related to life, liberty, and property. By safeguarding these rights through constitutional guarantees and laws, individuals can then pursue their happiness.
While the debate between authoritarianism and democracy will continue to evolve, it is essential to understand that individual rights, achieved through civic engagement and voting, promote human flourishing.
As we approach July 4th, it’s also important to understand that, as Abraham Lincoln said, we are “a country of the people, by the people, and for the people.” It would be great to meet a transparent, totally honest politician, but that can’t happen unless you vote, and voting means listening carefully to what the candidates say, and actually caring about our future.
Nick Jacobs is a Windber resident.