Monday, December 19, 2016

The Past, Present and Future of the Electoral College

Our Founding Fathers put into our Constitution a series of Checks and Balances between the branches of our government to ensure that one branch does not become more powerful than the others. They also included four paths to amend our Constitution. The Article V route draws in the people. This path has never been taken successfully to this day because Congress has been unwilling to turn power over to the States or the People, but it was included as the path to take when Congress is deadlocked and not doing their job.

The Constitution delineates the requirements, duties and responsibilities for elected offices, but also what is required to remove an elected official from office if he or she is not standing on the oath of office. Every elected official swears an oath to uphold the Constitution.

Since the schism started between the Democrats and Republicans, there has has been growing support for an Article V amendment convention. The only amendment that is likely to pass is the plan for the international government, which can be considered an overview amendment that has the capacity to push through all the other practices that are being protested.

As we work to create the additional layer of government within the United States, campaign financing, term limits, balanced budget and the Electoral College will be addressed together as part of the plan for the international government.

After a very divisive presidential election, today the Electoral College will make Donald Trump the official president of the United States, unless they vote to not make him president. Just as the U.S. Constitution includes Checks and Balances between the branches, the Electoral College has the capacity to stop a president-elect from taking office. If the Electoral College votes him into office anyway, the Checks and Balances between the branches comes into effect. Already, there is talk of impeachment--taking him to court before Congress. The Republican Party has the majority in Congress, and in our government, majority rules.

It is therefore important to remember that the power any government has is derived from the people, so if Congress upholds any president through impeachment, those elected officials who support him may not stay in office for long. If an elected official's approval rating is below 25%, the segment of the population who are normally not interested in the affairs of government are being squeezed and oppressed and that is when rebellions are likely to erupt.

We are looking at how the U.S. government functions and comparing this to how other forms of governments function. Any dictator appears to have supreme power, but stays in power through force and oppression, and most likely got into office by toppling his or her predecessor, and can therefore, under Universal Law, can be toppled.

During the time when the Constitution was first written, the vast majority of the people were uneducated. People lived far apart and the news took time to reach the farthest corners of the country. Transportation was difficult. Statesmen generally traveled alone by horse or in small groups, and the post traveled by coach. Neither is fast and secure. The Electoral College was the most logical solution at the time.

One more issue that is of vital interest in this presidential election is the opportunity to nominate one or more Supreme Court Justices. With several reaching old age, he (or she, depending on the Electoral College vote) will have immense control over how the United States evolves over the next fifty years.

Has America evolved to the point where change is now possible and necessary?

The schism between the Parties may to lead to rebellion under the present circumstances.  This election is not politics as usual. There has been a flip-flop effect between the parties, and while the Democrats were in the Whitehouse, the Republicans became more and more angry, and now they support Donald Trump, who has no interest in healing the schism.

The plan for the international government will bring unity to the country again, and demonstrate that it is possible to end schisms by doing what is in everyone's best interest.