Consent of the governed

From Freepedia

In some theories of government, all people are considered equal: in their right to govern themselves, and in their contributions to the rules of their society. In such a case, one would not have the right to restrict the personal freedoms of another. Instead, any power given to a governing body would have to be at the consent of the governed. A social contract between the government and the people defines the nature of that relationship, and both parties are bound by its terms.

In a large federal democracy, few, if any, of the "people" have an opportunity to consent to this social contract. Proponents of federal power contend that each person, as he or she comes of age, chooses either to consent to the terms of the agreement or to leave the country, while those who immigrate indicate their consent by virtue of having immigrated.

In order for government to be entirely at the consent of the governed, all rules of the representative body would have to be unanimously approved by their constituency. Implementation of this principle would therefore be impossible in a large federal democracy. Thus, many governments are started as republics of smaller states, counties, and townships, each with its own rules. The framers of the United States Constitution assert that, in such a union of independent states, the federal government would have the power to protect human rights from abuses of state governments, provide for the common defense from entities outside of the union, and promote the general welfare through funds agreed upon by the independent states of the union.

Several countries include the necessity of consent of the governed as part of a statement of founding principles for their nation. (For example, see the Principles section of the United States Declaration of Independence.)