We hear a call for the elimination of the Elector Collage system because it is unfair; it should be the popular vote that rules. However in their wisdom our Founding Fathers created that system to insure all states were treated fairly. Nevertheless those who lost the election call for the repeal of that process. To see what really happened let’s look at the 2016 election.
The biggest argument is that Clinton won the popular vote by approx. 1.5 million votes and thus should have won the election. However if we look at where she won the popular vote we would find that in the 5 counties that encompass NYC, (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Richmond & Queens) Clinton received well over 2 million more votes than Trump. Therefore those 5 counties alone gave her the numbers thus winning the popular vote of the entire country.
The proponents of eliminating the Electoral College are saying that one or two densely populated areas speak for the whole of the nation. These 5 counties comprise only 319 square miles. The United States is comprised of almost 4 million square miles of territory; it would be ridiculous to even suggest that the vote of those who inhabit a mere fraction of the total square miles of our country should dictate the outcome of our national elections.
The following list of statistics has been making the rounds on the Internet and it should put an end to the argument against the Electoral College. There are 3,141 counties in the United States. Trump won 3,084 of them and Clinton won just 57. And even in New York, where there are 62 counties, Trump won 46 and Clinton just 16. Almost all the other counties she won were in big cities.
The Founding Father didn’t want densely populated cities to control our entire country. These city areas are where we have real crime problems and lots unemployment. The criminal element should certainly not be dictating the way our country goes. Then there is the large number of people living off the government who almost definitely would vote themselves more government money.
Some have said the end of a democracy is when enough people living off the government discovery that they can vote themselves more benefits by electing the party that promises more. The Democrats promise more and more free things. The Republicans only promise opportunity and work. So the siren song of why work when I can get it for free is very alluring. Some of the takers do not even think that the free stuff had to come from someone who earned it. It all comes down to whether you earn it or someone takes it from someone who did and gives it to you. The number that wants to take seems to be adding up pretty fast. Soon they will outnumber those working to earn a living for their families
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All editorials, Letters to the Editor, columns and comments are the sole opinions of the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of Mesquite Local News.
Mike, your math is a tad off. Mrs. Clinton received 65,844,610 votes to Mr. Trump’s 62,979,636 votes. That is a difference of 2,864,974 votes. You state the difference was about 1,500,000. That is 1,364,974 votes shy of reality. That’s nearly a 50% error. The numbers aren’t all that important except that you build your argument around five counties in New York. To be fair to your readers, you’ll need to revise your column to include a few more counties somewhere to make up a rather substantial difference. Numbers aside, the intent of voting today is one vote per citizen. Are people who live in New York less of a citizen than those who live In Wyoming? Why should a large part of our country be penalized because they choose to live in a populated area and those who choose to not have neighbors be credited with more than a full measure of a vote?
Mike must be really frustrated here in Mesquite. Clark Country controls the whole State of Nevada. Clark County is solidly blue and is getter bluer by the day. Mesquite, still red but not a deep red, is in Clark County. Trump lost Nevada in 2016 due to Clark County. He will lose Nevada again in 2020 (if he runs which is doubtful). Thus poor Mike did nothing to elect Trump. Due to the electoral college, Nevada voted 100% for Trump. Mike’s vote counted for nothing.