Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ilaine who wrote (39559)	4/15/2004 12:05:02 PM
From: Michelino	Respond to of 793866

Mobocracy, schmobocracy. If the mafia can elect the governors and senators, we can be trusted to pick the president. The founding fathers were actually quite ambiguous as to who could vote, for what reasons and in what manner. The electoral college was meant as part of the package of compromise to lure in the less vanilla states. In addition they: "believed, under the influence of such British political thinkers as Henry St John Bolingbroke, that political parties were mischievous if not downright evil, and felt that gentlemen should not campaign for public office (The saying was "The office should seek the man, the man should not seek the office.")." fec.gov What ever its origins, the Electoral College was not worthy of being gilded and worshiped by later generations. As you hinted, the 1780s was an era of exclusion. The US began with some states preventing Jews and Catholics from voting. And White Property Owners Only. 1888 was the last year for the a state with this restriction. After the 15th amendment attempted to remove race as criteria, some states added in literal "Grandfather Clauses"...if Grandpa couldn't vote, you couldn't either. The 20th amendment included women. The 24th prohibited the poll tax where it was used in federal elections. The 26th added in a younger crowd. Has the constitution been amended so many times for any other concern? The trend is in the right direction, that's the modern part. Let's just get on with it and get a little more modern. We may have to wait until the liberty loving people of Texas realize that people of Maine are getting more than their share. lwvabc.org teacher.scholastic.com