As we look back at the election held one week ago today, most of the emphasis is placed on its national implications and the fact that not only did the Republicans win the Presidency but they also maintained solid control of both houses of the federal legislature, the House and the Senate. And many of the Democrats who claim that they have been cheated, that somehow following the rules we've used since 1791 is not fair, they must come to grips with the fact that to change those rules requires a constitutional amendment. They aren't going to get it changed by protest or by signing petitions and the efforts they expend for such futile actions merely are feel good actions that are realistically just nonsense.
This situation brings us to the importance of the states for to amend the Constitution requires approval by thirty-eight of the fifty state legislatures, all but one of which are bicameral. To get approval of any amendment to the Constitution thereby means getting a majority of seventy-six legislative bodies (or seventy-five if Nebraska is supportive with its unicameral [one house] legislature). This is very difficult to do and it was planned that way; the Founders didn't want the mainstay of our nation's laws, the Constitution, changeable on a whim. That would relegate our constitutional democratic republic to mischief and a possibility for tyranny by the majority.
And this brings us around the circle to the point of what the election just completed means outside of the Washington federal government. With state results in, the Republican Party now holds thirty-three of fifty governorships and it controls both houses of the state legislature in thirty-four states. So if our Democratic friends think they can persuade a large number of Republican officials at the state level to support a move for changing the electoral college, go ahead and give it a try.
And while you're at it, take a look at the situations found in county governments nationwide. Approximately one third of the counties in America that voted for Obama in 2012 switched to Trump this year, with resulting gains in local officials. Maybe it would be wise for Democrats to look at their message and what it tells America and they would see where they've gone wrong.
The 2016 election was not a wave election; it was an ideological election. Average Americans don't want a federal government that dictates to them how to live their lives in so many ways. They want to make their own decisions in an environment where citizens can succeed according to their hard work and skills. And they want their citizenship to mean something, with citizens being put first by a government that supports those it is designed to govern. And this begins with sovereignty and national security and that's what Americans are looking for.
America still has the potential for great things, but this breaking of the yoke that tells us central authority knowing best is a big first step to returning to greatness. But regardless of who is in power, it requires an informed citizenry to insure this happens. Stay alert, stay informed, encourage politicians when they do the right things and speak up with your opinion when they don't. It's what is expected of us and it's what we must do to keep our land free and fruitful.
This situation brings us to the importance of the states for to amend the Constitution requires approval by thirty-eight of the fifty state legislatures, all but one of which are bicameral. To get approval of any amendment to the Constitution thereby means getting a majority of seventy-six legislative bodies (or seventy-five if Nebraska is supportive with its unicameral [one house] legislature). This is very difficult to do and it was planned that way; the Founders didn't want the mainstay of our nation's laws, the Constitution, changeable on a whim. That would relegate our constitutional democratic republic to mischief and a possibility for tyranny by the majority.
And this brings us around the circle to the point of what the election just completed means outside of the Washington federal government. With state results in, the Republican Party now holds thirty-three of fifty governorships and it controls both houses of the state legislature in thirty-four states. So if our Democratic friends think they can persuade a large number of Republican officials at the state level to support a move for changing the electoral college, go ahead and give it a try.
And while you're at it, take a look at the situations found in county governments nationwide. Approximately one third of the counties in America that voted for Obama in 2012 switched to Trump this year, with resulting gains in local officials. Maybe it would be wise for Democrats to look at their message and what it tells America and they would see where they've gone wrong.
The 2016 election was not a wave election; it was an ideological election. Average Americans don't want a federal government that dictates to them how to live their lives in so many ways. They want to make their own decisions in an environment where citizens can succeed according to their hard work and skills. And they want their citizenship to mean something, with citizens being put first by a government that supports those it is designed to govern. And this begins with sovereignty and national security and that's what Americans are looking for.
America still has the potential for great things, but this breaking of the yoke that tells us central authority knowing best is a big first step to returning to greatness. But regardless of who is in power, it requires an informed citizenry to insure this happens. Stay alert, stay informed, encourage politicians when they do the right things and speak up with your opinion when they don't. It's what is expected of us and it's what we must do to keep our land free and fruitful.
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