Re: Democracy or Republic

[Bob Hoffmann <escape@alt-escape.com>]

At 09:12 AM 12/21/2000 -0800, Douglas Whitney wrote:
>to eliminate the electoral
>college would soon result in a country which would be unrecognizable to any
>of us

I eagerly await that day.  While I think most Americans recognize a place 
for States Rights, the construction of such according to 18th-century 
political theory falls far short of 21st century realities.  The East 
European "Communist" states did not collapse because they could not provide 
the needs of their people--they actually did so quite well.  They collapsed 
because people felt that they were not heard, not respected; that their 
voices, beliefs, dreams had no validity in the political system.  You can 
talk all you want about how the Constitution is a "social compact between 
50 member states, not between 200 million citizens," but the acquiescence 
of those 200 million citizens allows the social compact to endure.  The 
majority of those citizens don't understand the electoral college, don't 
like it, and think it should go.

It seems that your duty is to convince those citizens, "The Electoral 
College is important because it protects the states."  It is my duty to 
tell them, "Your dreams and desires are being frustrated to protect the 
rights of states that are supposed to protect your rights, but you have 
been forgotten in the equation."


Bob Hoffmann
846 Mabelle St.
Moscow, ID  83843

Tel: 208 883-0642