We were founded as a republic, modeled after ancient Rome before tyrants ruled it. Only white men who owned property were allowed to vote; governors appointed senators, and the loser of the presidency often became the vice president.

It was not lost on many founders of our constitution that in the declaration of our independence from England were the words "All men are created equal," and our constitution counted a significant percentage of our population as 2/3's of a person.

We have evolved as a nation. We vote for our senators; one no longer needs to own property to vote, blacks can vote, women can vote and laws have been passed protecting individual liberties unimagined at the time of our founding.

This march into the future, expanding liberty, justice and freedoms, has made us great. There is little in our past to go back to that could make us a greater nation now than what we are or what we aspire to be in the future.

We have been slowly moving from a republic to a representative democracy, making us the most prosperous nation on earth.

It is the civic duty of every American eligible to vote in this election to send a message to our fellow citizens and the world about who we intend to be in the future.

Ron Day
Milford, PA