Al Greiner...
Letter to Editor, 
October  22, 2011

Editor,

I would like to correct an error repeated hundreds of times a day, and perhaps uncountable times over the last few decades.  This has been done by many educated persons who should know better, but have forgotten their civics and U.S. history lessons.  The issue is the use of the word democratic when the speaker/writer is referring to the Democrat Party or someone who belongs to it.  Politicians and TV news anchors are especially guilty of this misuse. 

The Webster’s Dictionary that I have defines democratic as “of, belonging to, or upholding democracy or a democracy, that is, a government in which the people hold the ruling power either directly or through elected representatives.” 

This definition anoints democrats and the Democrat Party as having qualities that do not exist - they are not all “democratic.”  More recent (secular) editions of Webster’s blurs the distinction between the two and recognizes the Democrat Party as the same as the Democratic Party.  But this escapes the logic of history.  If a mistruth is repeated often enough, especially by those in power, it becomes accepted as fact. 

Incidentally, our form of government is not strictly a democracy (rule by majority) as many claim it to be.  In a strict democracy, a majority could pass a law which would make a heinous crime such as murder, legal.  Our government was more properly designed as and described by our founding fathers as a democratic republic, a subject of discussion for another day. 

Al Greiner

Greenville, OH