Flunking Electoral College 101
Friday, November 5, 2004
Gary Kaminski laments his loss of faith in the Electoral College, that long misunderstood institution for electing presidents ("A second chance," Nov. 4).
I, in turn, lament the ignorance of people who profess to love their country, yet know nothing about it.
Our Constitution (everybody remembers that, right?) ensures that we have a republican form of government. It says nothing of democracy.
In fact, the Founders despised democracy, calling it tyranny of the majority. It is like three wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner. So, yes, the Electoral College is an anti-democratic institution, and thank goodness. A democracy doesn't protect one's rights.
A republic is supposed to protect the rights of the minority as well as the majority, regardless of the number of fundamentalist Christians who try to trample them. I don't know what to call the current government in this nation, but leviathan comes to mind.
Jeffrey Murphy
Petersburg, Ohio
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