The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders

A person or body of people who rules or commands is not exercising leadership. A person or body of people who lead a group through example and persuasion are leaders. Sometimes rulers are necessary, such as in times of war, national emergencies, or regional or local disasters. Yet, in such situations, the rulers must relinquish their command after such times have ended. To do otherwise is to entrench despotism or tyrannical rule upon a person(s) or peoples.

Even in smaller-scale situations, such as a work or group environment, leadership is more advantageous than rulership. Leadership encourages a group of people to perform to the best of their abilities to reach a common goal. Setting goals and directing people to achieve these goals can be done by both rulers and leaders. But, usually, if it is done by rulers, the gains are short-term and the implementation can be soul-crushing. Achieving goals through leadership, however, can and often leads to more long-term gains, and the implementation is often uplifting for all those involved in achieving the goal.

The most important, and most consequential, rulership or leadership is at the governmental level. Our republican form of government was based on the ideal of leadership responsive to the will of the people. Our Constitution was adopted to assure this ideal. We, the American people, did not want rulers but leaders. Rulership is antithetical to the United States Constitution. Individual protection of rights, and the balance of powers between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government, were formulated to assure that we did not have rulers, but a people dedicated to Freedom, Liberty, Equality, and Equal Justice for All.

Unfortunately, the history of the world has shown that governments, even those founded on republican or democratic principles, often accrue power unto themselves and slide into tyranny or despotism. We in America have been resistant to this slide, but we have slidden. The progressive policies of the 20^th century and the more leftist policies espoused today require that we are ruled rather than be led. Laws, rules, and regulations are formulated that direct what we may do rather than what we may not do. When you want to decide what a person should be allowed to do or not do, rather than inform or persuade them to do or not do something, then you are a ruler and not a leader. Our freedom to choose and our liberty to do so has been, at times, constricted. This has often been justified as it is best for society. This justification, however, allows for the abrogation of our individual human and constitutional rights.

Many politicians and Progressives/Leftists believe they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, and that they are, of course, always correct and can, consequently, direct the actions of the American people. They, therefore, have little compunctions about ruling us rather than leading us. And most of these politicians are of one party – The Democrat Party.

The Democrat Party political agenda and social engineering goals require that they dictate what can or cannot be done by Americans. It also requires extensive taxes, and the redistributed of money through government entitlements from those that labor and earn their money to those who haven't labored or earned their money, as elaborated upon in my article "Entitlements". Within their own party, they do not have leadership but rulership, as I have pointed out in my article "There Is Nothing democratic About the Democrat Party ". The rulers of the Democrat Party punish or reward members of the party that disobey or obey their dictates, and they require that all party members and rulers abide by their orthodoxy. A reward or punishment that they would impose by rule on all Americans. To the Democrats, the Constitution is a living document that can be reinterpreted or ignored as necessary to meet their political agendas or social policies.

The Democrats' vision for America is, in reality, a nightmare. It only looks good when viewed through rose-colored glasses. When viewed through crystal clear glasses, it cannot meet the reality of protecting the Freedom, Liberty, Equality, and Equal Justice for All Americans. It also cannot provide the products and services that Americans want or need. Their vision only allows for the Freedom, Liberty, Equality, and Justice for that which they approve. It will also dictate which products and services, and at what prices, they approve. My Coronavirus Pandemic Chirp "04/02/20 Supply and Demand" spotlights some of the issues of supply and demand. The hubris of a government that believes they can direct or control a free people is astounding. Only a subjugated or subservient people can be directed or controlled.

And all of this can only be achieved by Democrats by ruling the American people. Consequently, the Democrats wish to be rulers and not leaders. America was not formulated to be ruled but to be led by the will of the people. Therefore, to support the Democrat political agenda and social engineering goals is to be ruled and not led, and it is antithetical to the ideals of the United States Constitution.