Politics

[JIMRPT@AOL.COM]

<<"If this were changed to a popular vote maybe there d be some interest in 
voting in the U.S.">>

Kristinn, Richard, Robin;

 There has to be an understanding of our system of government. We are not a 
'true' democracy. What we are is a 'Representative Republic'.  While in a 
true democracy 'everything' is decided, on a national basis, by majority vote 
of citizens, in the U.S. the 'will' of the people is expressed by their duly 
elected "representatives". (or that is the theory) So in the final anaylisis 
the U.S. is a 'Republic' based on 'democratic' principles.

 The words of Lincoln perhaps says it as well as can be said:
".......this Government of the people, by the people and for the people..."
The meaning of this statement is fairly clear, i.e., That the Government is 
made up "of the people" and not from some elite class.......... That the 
Government is made up based on decisions made "by the people" and not from 
some preordained line of sucession.  That the government is run "for the 
people" by their representatives which have been selected "from" and "by the 
people".

 Further it must be understood that we are a nation based on the union of the 
individual States which form our country and not on individual citizens or, 
citys, or counties, or districts, or ethnic groups, but of the several 
individual and equal States. While we as individual citizens have certain 
rights which are deemed to be "unalienable" by our Constitution and Bill of 
Rights..... the 'political' will of our people is expressed through the 
individual States and not indiviual citizens.
 
  We, "the people", have extraodinary political power in that we can say and 
do anything 'legal' we feel is needful to make our individual voice heard 
without fear of being silenced, thrown in jail, or being killed.

  This brings us to the "Electoral College" (note I am not a particular fan 
of the Electoral College) which is at the center of our current controversy.
The founders of our country wanted to protect the "people" from the 
"excesses" of the "people". :-)  This is not as contradictory as it seems on 
the surface though. In their, our "Founding Fathers", explanations contained 
in their individual writings, collectively known as the Federalist papers, 
they expressed the concern that the most populous states might place the less 
populous states in a permanent position of inferiority in political matters, 
which is exactly what a 'direct' popular vote would do.  Case in point.....at 
the present time Bush has won the "direct popular" vote in 30 States, Gore 
has won the "direct popular" vote in 18 states and 2 States are in dispute.  
These States each have an "elector" count equal to their individually elected 
"Representatives". 

This takes us back to the words of Lincoln.."of....by...and for the 
people"....the electors are elected "of" the people, "by" the people in their 
individual states and their will is expressed "for" the people by their 
state's designated "Electors". This system has the 'tendency' to nullify the 
"tyrany" of the larger states as can be seen in the instant example of 
Gore/Bush. In this instance the States for Gore are 36% while the States for 
Bush are 60% of the total States, with 4%, 2 States, yet to be decided.
Without the "Electoral College" in place the will of the people in those 18 
States would be forced upon the entire country although more 'States' voted, 
by "popular vote" for Bush than Gore. 
 (case in point California has 54 Electoral votes the most in the nation and 
in order to cancel that one states political power it would take Florida 
(25), Ohio (23) and Wyoming (6) ) (note: I may have the numbers wrong but the 
concept is correct)

 A perfect system..well no but......... one that has served the country well 
for several hundred years now ...and one that is preferable to many others 
around the world.

 So in the final analysis it is the "will of the people", as expressed 
through the several and equal States that selects our President even though 
that President might not achieve a "popular vote" majority at least they have 
achieved an overwhelming majority of States..that is the way it is and I'm 
not so sure that I would have it any other way.
My take.
Jim B.