Our Founding Fathers made mistakes. Most of their failures were the result of not being able to look into the future and understand that radical changes would come sooner than later. Their efforts were focused on the initial needs of the new nation, and how their decisions would affect Americans in the 18th century. A few of their mistakes were the Second Amendment, the Third Amendment, not establishing term limits for all three branches of our government, and allowing states to select our presidents, removing the right of every American to have their vote counted in each presidential election. This is why I believe the Electoral College is unconstitutional.
A Living Document
These facts confirm that the Constitution is and must be considered a “living document.” To continue a belief that the Law of the Land is taken literally is asinine and regressive.
Before I discuss the reasons I believe the Electoral College is Unconstitutional, let’s take a brief look at other mistakes made by the men who created the United States of America.
The Second Amendment was the most contested provision at the Constitutional Convention which began in 1787. Its original purpose was to protect the existence of an armed militia until a standing army became a reality. Matters including preventing slaves from accessing guns, and the state’s rights to ensure that only white men would be members of the militia were responsible for creating a controversial and vague Amendment which has prevented protection for average Americans in the 21st century.
The Third Amendment should have contained a stipulation related to the time when a standing army became a reality. At that time, the Third Amendment should have been repealed. Its purpose no longer had meaning.
In 1951 the 22nd Amendment was ratified. After the People’s President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, became unbeatable, Republicans drafted a bill to prevent any man from serving more than two full terms and a total of 10 years. Our founding fathers failed to see the need for term limits for all three branches. They overlooked the age-old axiom that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Today’s legislative and judicial branches are a perfect example of how their lack of foresight has harmed America in today’s America.
The People, All of the People, Must Choose Our President
The majority of our Founding Fathers believed that the people should choose the man or woman who would lead our nation every four years. However, demands made by less populated states forced an unwise and destructive compromise: the Electoral College.
Fact: if the Electoral College did not exist, no Republican would have resided in the White House since 1993. This single fact confirms that the First Amendment, guaranteeing our right to vote, continues to be ignored. The states choose our president. Millions of votes simply have no value, no effect on the outcome of our general elections.
There is no legitimate argument that protects the existence of the Electoral College. Over the last 31 years, only one Republican has won the popular vote. In 2004, George W. Bush barely defeated Senator John Kerry. However, if Bush had not been gifted the presidency by the Supreme Court in 2000, he would never have been up for reelection.
Your Vote is Both a Right and a Weapon
The problems our nation faces are many, and the changes which are necessary will not come from those in power today without an uprising by patriotic Americans. Our vote is a powerful weapon against corruption. However, division caused by the right wing, with the assistance of Fox News, has reduced our strength. All working-class Americans should be united against the former Republican Party and the mainstream media which have become tools of our nation’s 22.3 million millionaires, and 724 billionaires.
The motto of our nation can no longer be “profit before people.”
Finally, another irrefutable fact. Republicans would never win a presidential election if the Electoral College did not exist. Most Americans reject their anti-American platform. Should we allow politics to control the future of ourselves and those we love?
By James Turnage
Find my nine novels on Amazon’s Kindle
Sources:
Daily Kos: Michigan House holds hearing to join NPVIC, one step closer to electing POTUS by popular vote
Policy 2020 Brookings: It’s time to abolish the Electoral College
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Geoff Livingston‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
