Republic v. democracy.

The words "form" and "system" have been used interchangeably in differentiating democracy and republic and may have inadvertently created misunderstandings in expressing our nation's government.

Democracy, as defined in Webster's Dictionary, is a government in which the people hold the ruling power either directly or through elected representatives. Republic is a form of a democratic government in which the people elect their representatives.

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States reads "We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

The republic form of...