The Rotted Electoral College (was Action)

[DEMOREP1 at aol.com]

Mr. Hager wrote in part-

That pretty much sums it up.  For me, the real issue is balancing state 
power and protecting minority interests.  That's why I'd want to see 
direct election of senators repealed.  It would take a different mind set 
than the one dominant today for that sort of solution to be acceptable, 
however.
-----
D- There was *unbelieveable* levels of corruption in the various State 
legislatures in the choosing of U.S.A Senators after the 1861-1865 Civil War 
and before the 17th Amendment was ratified in 1913 (all Senators directly 
elected by Nov. 1918).

One result of such corruption were the state primaries starting in the late 
1880's replacing the really rotten old style boss conventions for nominating 
U.S.A., State and local candidates.

Such primaries (41 States- plurality, 9 States- top 2 runoff) are now the 
root source of the special interest gangs controlling the U.S.A. and State 
governments --- the gangs nominate their leftwing/ rightwing extremist 
candidates who get elected in the various indirect minority rule gerrymander 
districts (of which about 97 percent are *safe* one party districts in 
*normal* times -- since they are now computer drawn using the latest precinct 
by precinct population and election results data --- that is, gerrymanders 
control all in the States.

Basically --- the entire election system (and not just the Electoral College) 
in the U.S.A. is ANTI-Democracy and rotted to the core.

The armies of media know-it-alls (talking heads on Sunday morning TV shows, 
editorial folks, political reporters, etc.) are in a state of almost total 
ignorance about the political structural rot in U.S.A. /State government 
politics.

The legislative, executive and judicial rot in the Florida state/ local 
governments in the 2000 President election (ending in the Supremes with Bush 
v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000)) woke up some folks at least.

----
For more information about this list (subscribe, unsubscribe, FAQ, etc), 
please see http://www.eskimo.com/~robla/em