01/20 What you’re saying about the Electoral College, gerrymandering ... and Arkansas

Tyranny of the minority

Regarding Frank Hyman’s commentary “Let’s tear down the worst slavery-era monument: the Electoral College” (bit.ly/2EWzz7s, Jan, 18):

The Electoral College is a slavery-era monument? I am sorry to inform Mr Hyman that the electoral college doesn't have anything to do with slavery and everything to do with preventing the tyranny of the majority. Is he aware that just three states hold 26 percent of the total population of the United States? California, Texas, and New York. Along with the next six states the total is over 50 percent.

So Mr Hyman proposes that nine states should determine the outcome of presidential elections and dictate policy to the other 41.

Why not just apportion the U.S. Senate the same way? Lets cut to the chase, progressives, (The Left) just can’t get over the fact they lost an election. With all the adjectives they used to describe us, the one I liked best was deplorable and trying to equate the wisdom of our founders to racism? Well that was another adjective the progressives threw around too. Jeez oh Pete’s, what’s next?

Electoral nonsense

Regarding Frank Hyman’s commentary “Let’s tear down the worst slavery-era monument: the Electoral College” (bit.ly/2EWzz7s, Jan, 18):

Totally agreed. This relic is no longer productive for our nation. Few other nations use an electoral college system (save for Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and a few other nations). No technologically advanced nations use it (save for ours).

Nor is it necessary, as we have been able to tally the raw number of popular votes within hours for the last few decades. With advances in technology, we are able to determine the popular vote ever faster.

The common argument in favor of the electoral college, "it gives less populated states fairer representation" is nonsense. There is absolutely no logical rationale why one person's vote should be given more weight because of their geographical location. This argument, at its core, just says, "Well, if the system weren't rigged, we'd never win elections at all!"

The GOP’s intention

Last week a federal court once again ruled that the GOP-drawn redistricting maps were unconstitutionally partisan and racially biased. Many people praised the judges for making a stand for individual and civil rights.

I’ll wait to praise these judges for “standing up for individual rights” until they start holding GOP officials in contempt and throwing them in jail. One apartheid redistricting COULD be an honest mistake, (even though they went on record describing their intentions) but after the second time, their contempt for the people, democracy AND the courts should be obvious.

Insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting different results. Expecting the North Carolina GOP to do anything different without serious consequences is just that, insane. Lock them up. Fine them $10,000 a day until they comply. Otherwise we will be playing this game until after November and by that time it will be too late. (Or we will leave defining the district boundaries until so late in the summer that candidates can’t mount effective campaigns.” That is clearly the NC-GOP's intention.

Until these judges take serious action to see this decision implemented, they are standing up for nothing. They are just making nice statements on paper that have no consequences in the real world. We require more. Democracy requires more.

What about Arkansas?

Just wondering what terrible injustice that Alan Culton experienced in Arkansas that would cause him to group this beautiful state with the communist countries of North Korea and Cuba in his letter "Offended" on Jan 17?

This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 6:18 PM with the headline "01/20 What you’re saying about the Electoral College, gerrymandering ... and Arkansas."