Once upon a time...

John Locke wrote a book that changed the world. Not immediately. And not as much as it could have or should have. But a book that did change the world.

When we enact either one of these reforms, we will do more than make America great again, we will make America greater than it has ever been. When we make America a Perfect Democracy, we will make history.

Prior to the publication of Locke’s Second Treatise of Government in December 1689, political philosophers had generally considered a monarchy or an aristocracy to be the best form of government. Socrates and Plato believed that those who shared power should be wise and virtuous and they considered wisdom and virtue to be extremely rare. Thomas Hobbes described life in the state of nature as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” and as “a war of every man against every man”. He argued that to escape this condition, people, seeking peace, should form a commonwealth by joining together under an “agreement or contract…by which they all renounced their rights” and “transferred” them to an absolute monarch.

John Locke had a more generous view of human nature.

A deeply spiritual man, he placed both individual liberty and political power within a moral framework informed by his theories regarding life in the state of Nature. He stated, as “self-evident” truths, that “all men by nature are equal”, endowed by God with natural rights to “life, health, liberty, (and) possessions”; that “the end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom”, that “the consent of the people” is the only “lawful basis” for government; and that if and when “the ill designs of the rulers become visible…the people are at liberty to provide for themselves, by erecting a new (government), differing from the other, by the change of persons, or form, or both, as they shall find it most (effective) for their safety and good.” [All emphases in original.]

If these ideas sound familiar, it’s because they were immortalized by Thomas Jefferson, who was clearly inspired by Locke as he wrote the Declaration of Independence, which included a concise summary of Locke’s ideas:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

These ideas were revolutionary. Demonstrably so. They inspired the American Revolution - a war that Thomas Paine later called “a Revolution in the principles and practice of Governments”. They’ve been inspiring people ever since. And yet, the political revolution inspired by Locke’s ideas remains incomplete.

In spite of the fact that most people have long since come to agree that democracy is not only the best form of government but the only good form of government, the “Revolution in the principles and and practice of governments”, the world has yet to see Locke’s vision of a Perfect Democracy fully realized in any nation. Less than half the countries in the world today have democratic governments and the versions of democracy in place in more than half of those countries are deeply flawed. The government of the United States is among the deeply flawed democracies.

The best way for us to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is to unite in support of the ideals expressed in that noble document and enact the reforms that are needed to -

When we think of “sides” in the context of politics-as-usual in America, we think of Democrats versus Republicans, left wing versus right wing, or liberals versus conservatives. In a campaign to make America a Perfect Democracy, these ways of viewing the sides are irrelevant. There are Democrats who believe in democracy and Democrats who don’t. There are Republicans who believe in democracy and Republicans who don’t. There are people on both the left and the right (and centrists) who believe in democracy and people on both the left and the right (and centrists) who don’t. There are liberals and conservatives who believe in democracy and liberals and conservatives who don’t. When we shift our focus to perfecting democracy, the "sides" are the True Friends and Champions of Democracy versus the false friends and true enemies of democracy.

True Friends of Democracy believe that the “just powers” of governments are derived from “the consent of the governed”. That consent is only properly obtained when every citizen has an equal vote and/or truly equal representation, and the votes of the majority determine whether proposed legislation is approved or rejected.

Champions of Democracy are True Friends of Democracy who run for office, actively support pro-democracy candidates who are running for office, or take an active role in campaigns to get pro-democracy reforms on the ballot and adopted through the initiative. Champions of Democracy who are running for office, actively promote the reforms needed to make a government a true democracy as part of their campaigns. Champions of Democracy in Congress and state legislatures, draft, introduce and/or cosponsor pro-democracy legislation.

True enemies of democracy argue openly against democracy and in favor of other forms of government when debating the relative merits of various forms of government. Many true enemies of democracy (dictators and their supporters) simply use violence or the threat of violence to seize power.

False friends of democracy are true enemies of democracy who claim to believe in and support democracy. They work covertly to undermine democracy. They support anti-democratic provisions in constitutions, claiming they are needed to protect the rights of citizens. They support anti-democratic methods in the conduct of elections, claiming they are needed to protect the integrity of elections. They seek to create the illusion of democracy and convince the people of a community, state, or nation that their government is democratic, when it is not.

Democracy is Government by the People.

Majority rule is the essential element of a true democracy. The false friends and true enemies of democracy know that very few, if any, of the things they want governments to do have the support of a majority of the citizens. They cannot get what they want from governments that are true democracies.

There are very few enemies of democracy who are open in their opposition to democracy. Even brutal dictators often claim they have the support of the people and hold sham elections to demonstrate that alleged support. And while the false friends of democracy are in the minority in every country, they often manage to gain control of governments with flawed democracies. In America, they hold a majority of the seats in Congress and state legislatures and most of the offices in the other branches of government.

There are several reasons for their success in getting elected. Candidates who represent corporate interests and billionaires nearly always have considerably more money at their disposal and spent on their behalf when they run for office. They have perfected the art of gerrymandering, which enables them to win a majority of the seats in Congress and state legislatures even when receiving less than a majority of the votes. They do whatever they can to make it difficult for people to vote in districts that are likely to vote against candidates who represent their interests. They employ tried and true propaganda methods, using misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies to sow anger, fear, and hatred among us, and keep us divided.

Divided we lose.

The false friends and true enemies of democracy focus relentlessly on divisive issues. They work quietly, behind the scenes, to keep legislation that is opposed by corporate interests or tax-averse billionaires, from coming to a vote, or even being discussed or debated.

Their success in keeping legislation that has the support of most people from being passed into law and the ugliness, anger, and bitterness they inject into the political process has caused a great many people to conclude that voting is pointless and that we are powerless to change the system that is in place. We are not powerless.

When we unite in support of Champions of Democracy, we will find that we already have all the power we need to make America a Perfect Democracy.

Politically Active Citizens need to help voters learn to identify Champions of Democracy and vote for them. That will create a political environment where -

True Friends and Champions of Democracy need not fear the results of thousands of elections.

Defining Terms

We feel it is important for us to offer our definitions of the key terms we use in discussing what we need to do to make America a Perfect Democracy:

By Democracy, we mean government by the people.

By True Democracy, we mean a government in which the people truly govern, with every citizen having an equal vote and the votes of the majority determining what powers our government is given, what laws are enacted, and what policies are put in place.

In identifying majority rule as the essential element that gives a government the “form” of a “perfect democracy”, John Locke used the term “perfect democracy” in the same way the term “pure democracy” is sometimes used as a synonym for direct democracy. We wholeheartedly embrace John Locke's ideals and have been inspired by his use of the term "perfect democracy". We sometimes use the term "Perfect Democracy" in the same way Locke did - as a synonym for direct democracy. At other times we use the term

Perfect Democracy as the word "perfect" is often used outside the context of politics, to mean a democracy that is without flaws.

In general, by Perfect Democracy, we mean a true democracy in which a majority of the citizens who choose to be politically active respect the rights of others, understand that the primary reason we institute governments is to secure and protect our rights, and consistently support laws and policies that create the greatest good for the greatest number of people. We believe that a majority of Politically Active Citizens in America possess these qualities. We also believe that some flaws are likely to remain in place even once we have made America a Perfect Democracy and we should address those flaws after we have accomplished our primary mission.

About This Website

A statement from Winston Apple:

This website is published and paid for by me as a private Politically Active Citizen. It is a condensed version of my soon-to-be published book - Government by the People: A Citizens Guide to Making America a Perfect Democracy.

My preferred pronouns are "We" and "Us". Through this website and the Government by the People group on Facebook, I am working with other Politically Active Citizens toward our common goal of making America a Perfect Democracy.

This website is designed and intended to serve as an informational resource, (to foster a shared understanding of democracy) and as an organizational hub for a broad-based and inclusive pro-democracy movement, helping Politically Active Citizens and pro-democracy organizations work together to build support for the reforms needed to make America a Perfect Democracy and get those reforms enacted.

A different kind of PAC.

The acronym PAC ordinarily stands for "Political Action Committee". Government by the People is a different kind of PAC – a broad and inclusive group of “Politically Active Citizens".

The primary focus of PACs is on raising enormous amounts of money and then spending that money in support of candidates who will do the bidding of the people and organizations who contribute money. Most PACs are organized by corporations and billionaires as a vehicle for spending unlimited amounts of mostly “dark” money to get politicians who will do their bidding elected. Our primary focus is on facilitating communication between Politically Active Citizens and coordinating the efforts of Politically Active Citizens and pro-democracy organizations as we work together to perfect democracy in America.

Some of the organizations we are working with and through are classified as "Independent Expenditure-Only Committees (also known as "Super PACs") that are prohibited from communicating with political candidates or their campaigns. Government by the People is a broad-based and inclusive group of Politically Active Citizens, acting individually and independently of any organized group. It is necessary for us to make it clear that we are acting as private citizens to enable us to communicate directly with both pro-democracy candidates and pro-democracy organizations.

To facilitate communication, we are compiling a database of contact information for Politically Active Citizens and pro-democracy voters. Joining the campaign to make America a Perfect Democracy is as simple as providing your contact information. When you do, you are not joining an organization. There are no dues to pay. We do not solicit or accept money to support Government by the People. We encourage the Politically Active Citizens who join the campaign to focus their contributions of time and money on Champions of Democracy and pro-democracy organizations. One of those organizations is Perfect Democracy - an Independent Expenditure-Only Committee. Contributions to Perfect Democracy can be made through this website.

We have also formed a Facebook group as a means of providing a space for Politically Active Citizens to conduct an ongoing conversation about our campaign to make America a Perfect Democracy.

We post videos on our YouTube channel as part of our Civic Education Project.

And we post updates regarding our campaign to make America a Perfect Democracy and links to new videos on X.

The material on this website is adapted from a soon to be published book: Government by the People: Perfecting Demt ocracy in the 21st Century by Winston Apple.

Permission is granted to share with proper attribution. All Rights are Reserved.

This website is paid for by Winston Apple - as a private citizen.

Government by the People