Its the Republic, Stupid...

OK, so this post is political. If you don't care for that, then stop reading now.





Recently, a political activist group seeking to eliminate the Electoral College gloated over the fact that 4 more states looked to adopt laws that would allow them to turn over their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote. The United States is on its way to a true democracy, by eliminating the Electoral College (....and there was much rejoicing...).

Much to a lot of people's surprise, the founding fathers of our country actually discussed the idea of a Popular vote. It makes sense doesn't it? If the majority of the people want the guy to win, shouldn't he win? But alas, the founding fathers yet again show just how intelligent they were, and how passionate they were in establishing a country where no one person or group (including the majority) can gain absolute power. Ron Paul wrote on this very thing right after the 2000 elections. He points out:

1) Our country is not a democracy, but a republic. "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands.....

2) The word "democracy" does not appear in the Declaration of Independence, or the Constitution. Freshen up on the Constitution here, and do a quick search. Check out the Declaration of Independence. What an amazing document!

3) The Founding Fathers were passionate for liberty, not democracy.

Democracy says, that the majority of a group of people want a certain thing. Liberty focuses on the right of the individual. Democracy, has the potential to create a tyrannical rule over the few by a united belief from the many (or even the more powerful, i. e. Nazi party). A Republic has laws established to protect ones rights as an individual (the Bill of Rights, Checks and Balances, the electoral college). A Republic says, "You as an individual matter. your basic rights as individual matter. What you own matters. Your voice can be heard." A Democracy says, "the majority of the people believe 'this', therefore 'this' is what we will do for everyone."

OK, back to the topic. The Popular vote favors highly congested areas, and pretty much forgets about rural America. Politicians would no longer have to travel through Bucksnort, TN to discuss their views. They can focus their attention to the more populated areas such as New York, Las Angeles, Denver, Chicago, etc. I don't know about you, but I am pretty sure I don't think the same way as the average person that is 2000 miles away from my home. Does that make my voice or their voice any less important? No. This is the beauty of the electoral college: it is the "check and balance" of our republic. Small states have a stronger voice to allow for the rural situation of our vast country!

I found an article where an author tries to show how the correlation of a few point swing in the Popular Vote, correlates to a land slide in the Electoral College. He looked at numerous presidential elections over the last century. Its short, and very informative. I think this helps to better explain why the 2000 election actually worked! To truly appreciate the beauty of the electoral college, one must look at the map of the United States, by county for the 2000 election. To me, this map better shows how amazingly brilliant the electoral college is. If the popular vote winner had been made president, then our country would have been dictated by only slight pockets of the country.

The United States is not a democracy, but a republic, and THAT is something to stand for.