Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Need for Electoral College Reform

I have to get this off my chest. Many "progressives" argue for elimination of the Electoral College. This step would be in the long "democratic" tradition of "Progressivism" whereby direct popular vote replaces institutional safeguards against excessive crowd zeal. The Progressives established direct primaries, direct election of US Senators (previously they had been elected by state legislatures), and the referendum and recall in some states. The effect of these steps has been a reduction in freedom and a reduction in democracy. The reason is that the elite media finds it easier to manipulate mass opinion than it would find it to manipulate elected partisans. Direct democracy threatens freedom because the public can be easily bamboozled to support steps that further the aims of economic and social elites (Wall Street, college professors). Since the establishment of the Federal Reserve Bank, the public has naively accepted inflationary policies that harm it; have quietly acquiesced in declining real wages because the media tells them it is the inevitable result of free markets (as opposed to inflation and wealth transfer imposed by the Federal Reserve Bank through monetary subsidies to Wall Street and commercial bankers).

The true roots of America are in the rural states. America was an agricultural country and the founders, especially Jefferson, believed in the physiocrat philosophy that farming is the most noble way of life and that the best society is one composed of free landholders. Moreover, the Red States are closest to the culture of the founders in terms of intuitive understanding of the American ideal and in terms of the love of freedom on which this country is based. Elitists and opportunists who know a lot of false economic theory but don't produce much and are alienated from the American dream dominate the urban "Blue" states.

I do believe the Electoral College needs to be reformed. The number of votes given to rural states needs to be doubled, and the number of votes given to urban states needs to be halved. Only with a redistributed electoral college can America enjoy freedom and liberty.

1 comment:

Joe Bubel said...

I would like to see representitive districts cast their vote for president. Like Maine's system.

Those who claim the Electoral system is broken, are right, in that, how is it that less than 20 percent of America get to decide who is president? Just look at the NY map. NYC, Albany, Buffalo, Plattsburg, Syracuse and their surrounding counties vote overwhelmingly for the democrat. The REST of NY votes republican. There a 9 to 1 disparity in counties. 10% of NY votes for ME!