A Traditional Life Lived

The current system of electing the president ensur...

2010-07-28T16:45:35.832-05:00

The current system of electing the president ensures that the candidates, after the primaries, do not reach out to all of the states and their voters. Candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, campaign, or care about the voter concerns in the dozens of states where they are safely ahead or hopelessly behind. The reason for this is the state-by-state winner-take-all rule (not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, but now used by 48 states), under which all of a state's electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who gets the most votes in each separate state.

Presidential candidates concentrate their attention on only a handful of closely divided "battleground" states and their voters. In 2008, candidates concentrated over two-thirds of their campaign events and ad money in just six states, and 98% in just 15 states (CO, FL, IN, IA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NH, NM, NC, OH, PA, VA, and WI). Massachusetts (the 13th largest population state, with 12 electoral college votes) and 19 of the 22 smallest and medium-small states (with less than 7 electoral college votes) were not among them. Over half (57%) of the events were in just four states (Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia). In 2004, candidates concentrated over two-thirds of their money and campaign visits in five states; over 80% in nine states; and over 99% of their money in 16 states, and candidates concentrated over two-thirds of their money and campaign visits in five states and over 99% of their money in 16 states.
Two-thirds of the states and people have been merely spectators to the presidential elections.

Another shortcoming of the current system is that a candidate can win the Presidency without winning the most popular votes nationwide. This has occurred in one of every 14 presidential elections.

In the past six decades, there have been six presidential elections in which a shift of a relatively small number of votes in one or two states would have elected (and, in 2000, did elect) a presidential candidate who lost the popular vote nationwide.

The Founding Fathers only said in the U.S. Constit...

2010-07-28T16:36:33.740-05:00

The Founding Fathers only said in the U.S. Constitution about presidential elections (only after debating among 60 ballots for choosing a method): "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors . . ." The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly characterized the authority of the state legislatures over the manner of awarding their electoral votes as "plenary" and "exclusive."

Neither of the two most important features of the current system of electing the President (namely, universal suffrage, and the 48 state-by-state winner-take-all rule) are in the U.S. Constitution. Neither was the choice of the Founders when they went back to their states to organize the nation's first presidential election.

In 1789, in the nation's first election, the people had no vote for President in most states, Only men who owned a substantial amount of property could vote.

In 1789 only three states used the state-by-state winner-take-all rule to award electoral votes.

States don't even have to have elections to choose their electors.

There is no valid argument that the winner-take-all rule is entitled to any special deference based on history or the historical meaning of the words in the U.S. Constitution. The current 48 state-by-state winner-take-all rule (i.e., awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in a particular state) is not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, the debates of the Constitutional Convention, or the Federalist Papers. The actions taken by the Founding Fathers make it clear that they never gave their imprimatur to the winner-take-all rule.

The constitutional wording does not encourage, discourage, require, or prohibit the use of any particular method for awarding the state's electoral votes.

As a result of changes in state laws enacted since 1789, the people have the right to vote for presidential electors in 100% of the states, there are no property requirements for voting in any state, and the state-by-state winner-take-all rule is used by 48 of the 50 states. Maine and Nebraska currently award electoral votes by congressional district -- a reminder that an amendment to the U.S. Constitution is not required to change the way the President is elected.

The normal process of effecting change in the method of electing the President is specified in the U.S. Constitution, namely action by the state legislatures. This is how the current system was created, and this is the built-in method that the Constitution provides for making changes.

I think Ed Schultz is a good man for America. And ...

2010-07-28T11:02:45.667-05:00

I think Ed Schultz is a good man for America. And Fixed Noise is playing the "Race Card" whether YOU like it or not!

And then the barge captain will be rehired as a bo...

2010-07-28T09:12:15.302-05:00

And then the barge captain will be rehired as a boating safety commissar.

They considered Journolist as their gatekeeper.

2010-07-26T12:22:56.840-05:00

They considered Journolist as their gatekeeper.

Keith Olberdouche = EPIC FAIL.

2010-07-24T13:51:51.886-05:00

Keith Olberdouche = EPIC FAIL.

why didn't anyone call the police?? without a pe...

2010-07-24T11:12:07.655-05:00

why didn't anyone call the police?? without a permit they can't demonstrate. At no time can a demonstration block access by the public and employees....

Keith Olbermann is a truthful man. Props to Olberm...

2010-07-24T05:06:01.200-05:00

Keith Olbermann is a truthful man. Props to Olbermann for telling it like it is.

Time for Harry to go bye-bye.

2010-07-23T19:55:39.847-05:00

Time for Harry to go bye-bye.

He might have a point. How many folks (me, for one...

2010-07-23T13:53:45.779-05:00

He might have a point. How many folks (me, for one) bought a Ford instead of a vehicle from a company that sold their soul to Obama?

Seeing Prop C on the ballot was like having Christ...

2010-07-23T09:34:45.591-05:00

Seeing Prop C on the ballot was like having Christmas in July...or August. If this thing passes I promise not to ask for anything else, at least until November 2010. :)

wtf???? why are these people not in jail

2010-07-22T18:34:37.558-05:00

wtf???? why are these people not in jail

Nope, multiply Matt Lauer by 100 for is BS, lapdog...

2010-07-22T15:33:04.558-05:00

Nope, multiply Matt Lauer by 100 for is BS, lapdog routine with Shirley Sherrod.

Puh-thetic!!!

hey, just heard about your blog on pastor rob in t...

2010-07-22T11:25:35.647-05:00

hey, just heard about your blog on pastor rob in the morning on my favorite saint louis christian music station on the internet.

i'm a disabled teen and i think pastor's got it right and you got it wrong. i know there are things i can do and things i can't. that's ok. it's not right for ppl to tell me i can't do things that i can, but it is also bad to tell me or any kid that we can do anything if we just want to hard enough. if we just dream. that's what you're saying and it's wrong. i want a summer job like other but i can't wk in fast food or most other jobs that hire ppl my age. so to tell me just work hard 'nuff and dream and you'll succeed, just aint happening even if mom was like you and supportive.

Wow! So much for tolerant, loving liberals. I'v...

2010-07-22T10:23:13.506-05:00

Wow! So much for tolerant, loving liberals. I've never seen more hatered from any other group than I have from the far left. No wonder they all love murdering bastards like Stalin, Lenin and Che.

^^Of course they brought their kids. Who can affor...

2010-07-22T09:37:06.934-05:00

^^Of course they brought their kids. Who can afford daycare when the "mean evil bank" stole all your money.
I have to agree with my dad about these daytime protesters you see: Don't these people have jobs?

Predatory Lending?? I thought the problem was the ...

2010-07-22T08:11:00.816-05:00

Predatory Lending?? I thought the problem was the banks were not lending?? So which is it?? Hey I would take a predatory loan right about now... :-)

Notice the wee ones in the corner? Guess the indoc...

2010-07-21T22:05:28.056-05:00

Notice the wee ones in the corner? Guess the indoctrination starts early in the Acorn Org.

I'd normally agree with you about the people not w...

2010-07-21T21:59:18.918-05:00

I'd normally agree with you about the people not wanting to take jobs beneath them, but have you gone out and applied for a job, even the stupid minimum wage kind, lately?

I've had to shut my business down which forced me to look for work. Believe me, I'm not picky. I've never, in my 51 years, collected any sort of unemployment and I never intend to. That being said, it took me 8 months to find something, and it's part time. I applied for all sorts of jobs that were basic starter jobs, you know, anything to get by while the market was depressed. Let me tell you, there were hundreds of others applying for the same jobs. I never got called back on one, even though I made a bunch of follow ups and stop by's to check.

Maybe it was my age or my experience but there just wasn't anything happening. I've finally found work, part time. I've gone from $50 an hour to $15. It takes me a month to make what I made in a couple days. But I'm not complaining; it's a job and once again I've avoided the dole.

So, I agree that some don't want to work and I'm against extending benefits, to workers and corporations alike (can you find the authority for this in the Constitution; I can't). The only thing I would ask is that you take into consideration the times we live in and the fact that I've never seen the job market like this. We're not all slackers out here.

[continued from previous comment] Within The Ameri...

2010-07-21T16:43:36.054-05:00

[continued from previous comment]
Within The Americans With Disabilities Act and the applicable Special Education Regulations prior to the A.D.A., both academic institutions and employers are required to provide "reasonable accommodations" to persons with disabilities. If a position requires skills as a key component of a position that I or another disabled candidate do not have, an employer is not expected to be hire me or the other disabled candidate. Communication skills, the ability to read and write well and effectively are, I believe, a key skills needed by educators and administrators in a school system -- or any academic institution -- as well as the ability to understand, analyze data and develop policy, which requires good written and verbal communication skills. I might add that most software now includes spell check and often grammar checking and that even the best communicators among us routinely use such common tools. Just because someone is popular with his or her peers does not mean that he or she is qualified for a position -- disabled or not.

[continued from previous comment] I can -- and ha...

2010-07-21T16:41:20.996-05:00

[continued from previous comment]

I can -- and have accomplished many things in my life, but I could not be a fireman, police officer, park ranger or surgeon (hands have tremors). I am realistic enough to know that there are careers which I should not seek, not because I'm a second-rate person, but because these are unrealistic given my physical situation. I can do "anything" within my power and within reason given my aptitude, training and physical ability to do so just like any "normal" (non-disabled) person providing I am given the chance and able to overcome societal prejudice and fears.

With the exception of overcoming societal prejudice and fears, this is true of non-disabled individuals as well. Not everyone has to aptitude or physical ability to do "anything" whether he or she has an identified disability or not.

I grew up before "mainstreaming". In our school district, all physically disabled (and mentally handicapped) students were required to attend Special School District, which largely provided a second-rate educational, segregated experience for those of us who had physical disabilities, but were extremely high functioning intellectually. My parents mainstreamed me into private schools from 5th. grade through high school and these schools did not have "special education" provisions. The American With Disabilities Act did not yet exist and I was expected to do the same work to the same standards as my classmates -- Thank God -- although I used a typewriter for my written homework. I was offered alternatives to required required physical education which I would have been physically unable to do.
This was reasonable and appropriate.

[continued from previous comment] Professionally ...

2010-07-21T16:40:02.759-05:00

[continued from previous comment]

Professionally as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, prior to entering ministry, I was a psychotherapist working with individuals, families, children and adolescents. My specialization turned out to be children and adolescents because employers saw my background in youth work, although my original intent was to work with adults when I was in school. I also served on The Disability Rights Commission in the community in which I lived and worked both professionally and as a volunteer to increase understanding and enforcement of the Americans With Disabilities Act and other relevant laws and regulations. In seminary I served on the Disability Ministries Commission of the denomination in was in while at seminary. I have since, as an ordained minister in my current denomination, presented workshops at one of our national meetings on Disability Issues and The Church -- "That All My Worship" (Kansas City, 2005). I've also taught at the college and graduate school level as Adjunct Faculty and I am currently being considered for a university faculty position. Several years ago, I ran for elected office at our state level and received a strong number of votes for someone seeking election for the first time.

Accessibility, both from a physical standpoint and equally important, inclusion from an attitudinal standpoint is very, very dear to my heart. Youth and adults with known disabilities -- those that people can see -- face misunderstanding and prejudice in our every day lives -- socially and in employment,etc.

People with hidden disabilities can often "pass", but are often labeled stupid or lazy by insensitive or misinformed individuals and may also face discrimination in employment by those who do not want to provide accommodation for whatever the disability happens to be.

These are real issues that we face, but to excuse substandard work, key to a position, is not accommodation, it is, I believe, excuse making and does a disservice to all the rest of us. It also makes it more difficult for those of us who have worked so hard to accomplish those things that we have because it gives many people the impression that "those disabled people" expect a double standard.

I found your post linked from The Missouri Tea Par...

2010-07-21T16:38:11.307-05:00

I found your post linked from The Missouri Tea Party website and read your post with considerable alarm.

I usually don't post responses on blogs -- and certainly not long responses, but I feel that I ** must** respond to your comments in more detail than I usually would.

I am a 48 year old adult with Cerebral Palsy since birth. I have extreme difficulty ambulating and use two crutches to walk or a walker. I also now own my first Power Chair and am buying a van and the adaptive devices so that I may load and unload the chair without assistance.

I graduated college with an excellent GPA and earned more than one graduate degree or certificate, including a Masters in Social Work. In high school and college, I worked in both public and commercial broadcasting -- radio and television.

Prior to earning that degree I was a school teacher in regular non-disability classrooms. I was also the first and only physically disabled person to work as a live in house parent at a home for disturbed youth, a substance abuse counselor at inpatient treatment centers and later taught Junior High in regular non-special education classrooms. While earning my Master in Social Work, I was, a PAID special education social worker for a local public school district.

I also attended theological seminary and I'm an ordained minister in a mainline Protestant denomination.

I have a high IQ but I'm learning disabled in mathematics and I have non-hyperactive attention deficit disorder.

The only assistance that I received during this process was the right to do exams on a computer and assistance with getting books in the library, photocopying, etc. Never in my academic career did I expect professors to grade me differently than my classmates. I did expect, and for the most part, received reasonable accommodations for my physical disability. Sometimes, it was a challenge, but since what I was requesting was "reasonable" under the law, provisions ultimately were made, but I was still expected to meet the same standards as my non-handicapped classmates and colleagues. [Continued]

Chick, I was born here. I AM a Native American. Yo...

2010-07-21T12:54:20.068-05:00

Chick, I was born here. I AM a Native American. You tell me to go home, I'm already here.
I suppose I could go back to my ancestral home in Scotland...at least the Scots know how to repeal an immigrant invasion. Hell, the Scottish even stopped the Romans!

Do you honestly believe that even if Prop C passes...

2010-07-19T15:23:54.433-05:00

Do you honestly believe that even if Prop C passes it will change anything. Do you think that Prop C, a State Law will supersede Federal legislation? I know there are examples where this does occur, but I am pretty sure this isn't one of them. How about a little honesty here for a change. Or does your right-wing family values prevent you from being honest?