[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 86 (Thursday, May 24, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 525--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 2018 AS NATIONAL DEMOCRACY 
   MONTH AS A TIME TO REFLECT ON THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE SYSTEM OF 
    GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO A MORE FREE AND STABLE WORLD

  Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 525

       Whereas, 2,000 years after the ancient Greeks laid the 
     groundwork for democracy, the founders of the United States 
     built an even greater system of government, a democratic 
     republic, propelling the United States to become the most 
     advanced nation in human history;
       Whereas the model of government of the United States has 
     been reproduced around the world;
       Whereas, according to Freedom House, despite the expansion 
     of democracy worldwide, today more than 1 in 3 people in the 
     world do not live in states considered free;
       Whereas the Constitution of the United States and the Bill 
     of Rights, with the addition of the Reconstruction Era 
     amendments, including the 14th and 15th Amendments, and the 
     19th Amendment, enshrine the rights and civil liberties of 
     citizens of the United States, including the right to vote in 
     free and fair elections;
       Whereas the perpetuation of the ideals of democracy does 
     not happen on its own, and can be stalled or reversed;
       Whereas surveys show that citizens of the United States are 
     losing faith in the democratic system;
       Whereas, according to a study published in the Journal of 
     Democracy--
       (1) 91 percent of young people in the United States in the 
     1930s thought it ``essential'' to live in a democracy;
       (2) only 30 percent of young people in the United States in 
     2018 think that it is ``essential'' to live in a democracy; 
     and
       (3) 24 percent of young people in the United States in 2018 
     think that democracy is a ``bad'' or ``very bad'' way of 
     running the country;
       Whereas Freedom House concluded that ``Democracy as the 
     world's dominant form of government is under greater threat 
     than at any point in the last 25 years'';
       Whereas former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 
     said ``The practice of democracy is not passed down through 
     the gene pool. It must be taught and learned anew by each 
     generation of citizens'';
       Whereas President John F. Kennedy said ``Democracy is never 
     a final achievement. It is a call to effort, to sacrifice, 
     and a willingness to live and to die in its defense'';
       Whereas President Ronald Reagan said ``Democracy is worth 
     dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of 
     government ever devised by man'';
       Whereas World War II demonstrated the fragility of 
     democracy and its accompanying civilized life;
       Whereas British Prime Minister Winston Churchill observed 
     that ``Democracy is the worst form of government, except for 
     all the others that have ever been tried'';
       Whereas President George Washington said the United States 
     must recognize the immense value of the national Union and 
     work towards its preservation with ``jealous anxiety'' and 
     wrote that the security of a free Constitution may be 
     accomplished by ``teaching the people themselves to know and 
     to value their own rights'';
       Whereas President Thomas Jefferson wrote ``Educate and 
     inform the whole mass of the people . . . . They are the only 
     sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty''; and
       Whereas evidence of the diminution of strong support for 
     democratic principles in recent years among citizens of the 
     United States suggests the government of the United States 
     must once more teach and educate the people by taking 
     appropriate actions to highlight and emphasize the importance 
     of democratic principles and their essential role in our 
     freedoms and way of life: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 2018 as ``National Democracy 
     Month'';
       (2) encourages States and local governments to designate 
     September 2018 as ``National Democracy Month'';
       (3) recognizes the celebration of ``National Democracy 
     Month'' as a time to reflect on the contributions of the 
     system of government of the United States to a more free and 
     stable world; and
       (4) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     ``National Democracy Month'' with appropriate ceremonies and 
     activities that--
       (A) provide appreciation for the system of government of 
     the United States; and
       (B) demonstrate that the people of the United States shall 
     never forget the sacrifices made by past generations of 
     people of the United States to preserve the freedoms and 
     principles of the United States.

                          ____________________