Grant Shelton

Omnibus VI Primary B
Mr. Stepper
January 9, 2015
Project 04
Option 1/3
1. If someone offered you $1,000 on the condition that you would not vote that year, would you
take the money or keep your vote?
5 would take the money, 4 would keep the vote, and one would keep the vote, but only for
a Presidential election.
2. If people want to maintain liberty, is it necessary for that people to be religious?
5 said yes, 5 said no.
3. Should the public schools teach religion and morality?
8 said yes, 2 said no.
4. Should the government provide for entitlements such as Social Security, Medicare, or
Medicaid?
5 said yes with some regulations, 4 said no, and one chose not to answer.
5. Is freedom protected by robust local and state governments?
8 said yes, 1 said no, and 1 said all levels of government protect freedom.
6. Do you read the newspaper? If not, how do you get the news?
7 said yes, 1 said vaguely, 1 said that they got news from online sources, and 1 said that
they are told about the news by friends and family.
7. Are you involved in community organizations, such as service clubs (Rotary, Lions Club, Little
League, homeless shelter, the local branch of a political party, etc.)?
5 said yes, 5 said no.
8. Is it the federal government's responsibility to provide health care for all Americans?
1 said yes, 9 said no.

9. Which is more dangerous for democracy: one man having more rights and privileges than

another, or the government becoming much more powerful than any man or group of
men?
9 said big government, 1 said inequality.
10.

Does the rule of the majority most often find truth?

3 said yes, 7 said no.

Final Tocqueville Score:
69/100
Democracy is in Jeopardy

Evaluation
I have been surprised to find that while many of the interviewees of this survey have
probably not read Tocquevilles work, or perhaps even heard of him, some distinctly
resounded his arguments in their responses, while others wholeheartedly believed the
antithesis. A Tocqueville Score of 69%, while decent, may have been a good deal greater if
the survey was taken in the times of Tocquevilles authorship. I would now like to evaluate
the reasons that I believe are accountable for the loss of 31% on the Tocqueville Score over
the years.
Question 1: Most of those that answered that they would keep money instead of a
vote responded this way saying that they feel that their vote does not count for much
anyways. Indeed, with the electoral system, it appears to not apply as much, and with a
substantially larger population than in the infancy of America (due possibly to mass
immigration and the normal population growth) I would agree that a vote would not count
as much now. There is no way to truly overcome this, but while an electoral system may

prevent excessive democracy, the public seems to feel that it inhibit their ability to sway a
state or district at all.
Questions 2-3: Most answerers of these questions came with questions of their
own. What kind of religion should be taught? What is considered morality? This
confusion, I believe, would not have been as present in Tocquevilles era due to the modern
ideas of relative truths, religions, and morals, and the sometimes-absolute rejection of
moral absolutes (ironic, isnt it?).
Question 4: While most did answer that the government should continue to provide
for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, they seemed to give the answer (for the most
part) somewhat reluctantly. Some even expressed their position by saying that while they
think the government should continue this, it should not have been started in the first
place.
Questions 5-7: I do not believe that question five and six need evaluation, but some
that answered question seven did reply that they contributed to certain organizations not
as members, but as financial supporters. I was not sure that this qualified, so I did not
include it in the score, but that may raise the Tocqueville Score.
Questions 8-9: Nearly unanimous, and need no explanation.
Question 10: Here again, we come to see the effects of Postmodernism altering
societys belief of truth. Those three that answered yes to the question of whether the rule
of the majority most often finds truth seemed to conclude that while it may not be ultimate
truth for everyone, it is true enough for that people to act on. This is a much more modern
idea.

This ends the evaluation of Project 04. The survey was conducted in areas for both
Options 1 and 3 as designated on the assignment sheet.