Abstract
A democratic society can be conceived as an order characterized by a certain principle of justification — a principle of democratic legitimacy. This principle requires a continuous order of mutually assured and encouraged autonomy in which political decisions are manifestly based on the judgments of members who are free and equal persons. The democratic order must also satisfy the conditions of equal freedom and autonomy that give it definition. Because the absence of material deprivation is a prerequisite for free and unconstrained deliberation and individual development and fulfillment, a democratic society must provide a basic level of material satisfaction for all members of the political order. To satisfy democratic values, the level of material satisfaction should be determined through a free process of deliberation among the people. Many brave and dedicated people in America are struggling daily to create and perpetuate a constitutional democratic system of government.