Electing the President

I venture to guess that a lot of Americans don’t really understand that electoral votes and the Electoral College actually elect the president. The President of the United States of America is not elected by the popular vote. Surprise! The way this works is a little complicated, but it goes something like this. We have an election, a presidential election. Citizens in each of the 50 states go out and cast their ballots for President. Each state has a designated number of electoral votes determined by the number of each state’s U.S. Senators and the number of its U.S. Representatives combined.  Each state’s designated number of electoral votes can change every 10 years with the U.S. Census and the change in population in that state which affects the number of U.S. Representatives they have. Have I lost you yet? Try this:

State Electoral Votes = # of U.S. Senators (2) + # of U.S. Representatives (determined by U.S. Census every 10 years based on population)

During the campaign for President, the candidates of each party pursue those states with the largest numbers of electoral votes since the candidate with the largest number of Electoral Votes…wins.  Now to win the electoral votes in each state, the candidate has to win the popular vote in that state. The winner of the popular vote takes all the state’s Electoral Votes or rather the actual people chosen as “electors” by their respective parties during the state primaries. If the Democratic candidate wins the state’s popular vote then those Democratic “electors “ chosen by the state’s Democratic Party get to vote at the Electoral College…after the popular election is over. This group of chosen people gets to choose the President (except in the resent case of Bush v. Gore before the U.S. Supreme Court where the Court got to choose because the vote was so close.) How are you doing? Still with me?

So this is how most Presidential Elections are decided state by state…winner takes all in each state. Now there is a movement afoot to change how this system works.  In states with Republican Governors and Republican controlled state legislatures, Republicans want to change the winner take all rule and split up the states allotted Electoral votes by districts that they have gerrymandered to favor Republican votes. As I understand the plan, it works something like this:

State A = 5 Electoral Votes

Dist. 1 (Rural Area 100 Rep v 50 Dem =Rep Wins)

Dist. 2 (Rural Area 100 Rep v 50 Dem =Rep Wins)

Dist. 3 (Rural Area 100 Rep v 50 Dem =Rep Wins)

Dist. 4 (Urban Area 100 Rep v 1000  Dem =Dem Wins)

Dist. 5 (Urban Area 100 Rep v 1000  Dem =Dem Wins)

Results:

Popular vote: 2150 Dems v 500 Reps = Dems win

New Electoral Plan: 3 Reps v 2 Dems  (State Electoral  Votes are Split favoring Reps)

With this new way to elect a President by splitting Electoral Votes in these states it would be possible for a candidate to win the popular election in a close vote, but lose in the number of Electoral Votes needed to become President. Remember, it is the electoral votes that count. Analysis of the recent Presidential Election using this new system would have resulting in Romney winning the Presidency even though Obama won the popular vote.

Perhaps it is finally time to elect our President by a straight popular vote by all voters across this country. If one political party gains the ability to manipulate the vote in their favor, do we still have a Democracy?

Food for THOUGHT…

The 2nd Amendment

Text of the 2nd Amendment:  “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

The 2nd Amendment was ratified on December 17, 1791 along with the other nine amendments that make up the Bill of Rights. This amendment to our Constitution has sparked deep controversy among Americans as to what it means. What rights “shall not be infringed?” The NRA (National Rifle Association) would have us believe that there should be no restrictions, no control of any kind on weapons in America and there lies the problem…little or no gun control.

Many believe that any type of gun control would ultimately lead us down the “slippery slope” to the Government (Big “G”) confiscating all weapons from American citizens and thus leaving us vulnerable to oppression.  That’s the really big fear that’s been floating around since I suppose this country was founded.  I hear things like “What are you going to do when Obama takes all of our guns away?” The NRA says it will fight Obama “tooth and nail” and some are talking about another civil war as crazy as it seems. Yes there is real FEAR in the air.

Amid all of this fear over guns being taken away, America has endured far too many mass shootings at the hands of lunatics with access to military assault weapons using mega clips of ammunition. Presidents, congressmen, high school and college students, theater goers and finally a bunch of innocent grade school kids have all been laid waste to gun violence and yet voices shout out to do nothing. Pass no laws! Pass no restrictions of any kind! Protect the 2^nd Amendment at all costs even if Americans can no longer feel safe on their neighborhood streets, in shopping malls, churches, movie theaters and even their own homes.

Our Congress cowers in fear of NRA threats. Any congressman or senator foolish enough to stand up and support any sort of common sense gun control legislation would surely find that funding for their next election would disappear. So they fall in line and reaffirm their support of the NRA to remain in its good graces. The NRA says the solution to all this gun violence is…more guns. Arm our school teachers!? Really? Allow college students to carry guns on campus? If everyone is armed the bad guys will think twice. And so it goes, a congress that cowers when our President, teachers, police departments, big city mayors, parents and everyday American citizens are calling out for action, reasonable, sensible…action.  National polls show that even a majority of NRA members favor at least background checks on all gun sales and yet the leadership of the NRA organization says no way.

The gun manufacturers are the only ones making out like bandits during all the controversy over gun control. You see, with all the fear being stirred up by the NRA and others…business is booming. Order your assault weapons and mega clips before they get taken away, before they are banned! Reports are that they cannot keep up with the orders. As fear grows, so does their business. The gun manufacturers are the ultimate job creators… for the funeral industry that is. Their lobbyists in Washington make sure Congress “plays ball.” That’s why we have not had a Director of the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) in 6 years. The Senate GOP refuses to confirm anyone. They block any confirmation! The ATF, the agency charged with regulating guns in this country, has been gutted thanks to legislation snuck into a bill back in 2006.  Some 40 % of all gun sales goes unchecked, unregulated. Due to cutbacks in funding by Congress there are even less ATF agents today to do what little they can still do by law.

The President and the Vice President have put together a list of common sense reforms starting with universal background checks on all gun sales. Some of these changes can be enacted by President Obama’s executive order, but most of the important, meaningful changes MUST be passed by our Congress. It remains to be seen if America will have a government of the people, by the people and for the people…or one by and for the NRA , gun manufactures and big money.

I support the 2^nd Amendment to our Constitution, especially the part about a “well regulated militia.” Let’s face it, no government in its right mind (including ours) would attempt to take away guns from such a well armed citizenry, but we need to do things to make it safer in our society and reduce gun violence now. Right now.

It’s time Congress got some balls.

Food for THOUGHT…