Fairness in a Democracy - the tyranny of the majority

Current events in Wisconsin, several other states, and Washington have me thinking about democracy and majority rule.  Just because some group is in the majority does that make anything they do right?  Is strict majority rule just?  Is it fair?  Is it acceptable?

Common Sense thinks not!

Consider is it OK to kill Jews just because they are a minority?  The obvious and generally accepted answer is no.  We regard human life as sacred regardless of the minority status of some group.  While that's an extreme example it does demonstrate the proposition that pure majority action is definitely not acceptable.

Lets try something less extreme, say is it OK to subject a group of employees to special treatment?  Suppose Ford or GM decided to unilaterally take the actions the Wisconsin governor proposes.  How would we feel about that?  Would it be OK or would it be seen as a breach of contract and possibly a violation of the laws governing unions?  The short version is that it wouldn't be OK and likely would breach law.

Is it OK then to apply those measures to Wisconsin teachers?  Is it OK since the Republicans are in the majority to pass a union busting law?  Common Sense thinks it's not.

Democracy works only when those governed see it as reasonably fair.  Majority rule in the absence of fairness is just another form of tyranny.  Consider that in our federal government we have a Senate with each state represented by two Senators regardless of the state's population.  This organization reflects the founders fear of pure majority rule by the most populous states in the House.  Consider as well that even within the Senate certain things require not a simple majority but a super majority to pass.  Clearly some things are so important, so central to fairness, that majority rule is not fair and a broader consensus is needed.

Common Sense is no great fan of unions given their rather spotty history.  But, and it's a very important but, when faced with big business or big government Common Sense recognizes that unions are one of the few mechanisms available to working men and women to achieve some measure of equitable negotiation.  Common Sense thus believes that the proposed Wisconsin actions are grossly unjust.  It is union busting plain and simple.  Moreover, it is a case study in what is wrong with majority mob rule.