Wait, are you saying Thomas Jefferson was part of the liberal elite?
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Wait, are you saying Thomas Jefferson was part of the liberal elite?
[QUOTE=Guestrex]Wait, are you saying Thomas Jefferson was part of the liberal elite?[/QUOTE]Yes and no. Jefferson was part of the "liberal elite" of his time, but the comment about why the electoral college was created is off the mark. It was a compromise between two camps -- one of which wanted pure popular vote to elect presidents, and the other of which wanted state legislatures to elect the president. Jefferson's idea wasn't that people were too stupid to vote "correctly." Instead, it was that states would all elect regional candidates for president because there was very limited ability to communicate nationally at the time -- there was no internet or telephones, no national newspapers and very little means to disseminate information to the entire country. Regional voting would then mean that the most populous state would always win. So, the issue wasn't whether people were too "stupid" to make the correct pick, as the post suggested. It was that there was little means to get them information on which they could make an informed decision, so regional candidates would always prevail. The electoral college could eliminate that. There were other reasons, as well, but the idea wasn't that a majority of people are too stupid to have a direct vote.
Al īthe greedy capitalist` Gore was on TV last night. What a fruit loop.
The biggest waster of energy in the state of Tennessee was making the outlandish claim that changing the type of light bulbs we use, the appliances we use and the energy we use would create jobs.
In realty, doing the things fatso Gore advocates would simply be an added expense to families and businesses and would result in less jobs and less prosperity.
I am surprised Gore doesn't come up with some other worthless make work project such as forcing all cars to be manufactured with built in energy efficient hot tubs. That would really produce a lot of new jobs. We would be a nation of hot tub cars but a nation without jobs or disposible income.
All this based on man made global warming which is 110% junk science.
P.S. maybe I am missing something. Maybe Gore is right. If we changed the way we produce and use energy we probably would use a lot less energy.
We would use a lot less energy because with Goreīs outrageous energy costs businesses would cease to exist and most families, except Al Goreīs family, couldnīt afford to turn on even a light bulb.
If you look at certain structures or procedures developed by our founders, such as the electoral college, solely from a 2009 perspective, you will miss a significant amount of relevant information that they considered and you may very well misread their intentions.
Whilst today the US is a federalist constitutional republic, it was not always so. After independence from England was claimed (7/4/1776) the country was coalesced together as a confederation with a weak federal government, as stipulated in the Articles of Confederation enacted in 1777. The country operated under the AoC until 1789, when president George Washington and the first congress took office. The Constitution had been ratified in 1788. Article II of the Constitution establishes the Electoral College (since amended, in 1804 by the 12th Amendment) The Bill of Rights came along in 1791 (the BoR is comprised of the first ten amendments to the Constitution) The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in December of 1791 and stipulates that those powers not specifically granted to the federal government and not explicitly prohibited to the states are to reside with the states or the people. This is embodiment of "States' Rights."
The electoral college was a protection against the national direct popular vote, but not the stupidity of the American public. As one can see, from 'recent' election results (1978, 1992, 1996 and 2008) the electoral college is certainly no protection form the stupidity of the American voter. Further, it is a protection of the states and the individuals voting in less populated states lest they be completely drowned out by the popular votes of urbanized areas in more populated states.
At the time of the founding, a dominant federal government was explicitly not wanted. The evolution from the AoC to the Constitution was fraught with efforts and mechanisms (see X Amendment citation above) to limit federal power and protect both the states and the individual. The post-Civil War expansion of federal powers, the New Deal, the current Obama / Reid / Pelosi power grab and numerous judicial fiats have eroded many of those safeguards. Unfortunately, it seems that we are destined to continue to destroy the Constitution and the rule of law.
Note to lefties: Please feel free to call me a racist for citing the Tenth Amendment. Obviously, I am speaking in code to distribute a much more sinister and nefarious message to the ignorant masses in order to foment discontent and focus their anger on minorities so as to distract them from discovering the man behind the curtain.
[QUOTE=Guestrex]Wait, are you saying Thomas Jefferson was part of the liberal elite?[/QUOTE]Not sure of the liberal elite, but he was certainly a progressive early monger. Sally Hemings? Boo-Yah!
Keep hope alive!
[QUOTE=Sidney]Damm Bush! It is all his fault! [/QUOTE]Not too far from the truth actually. Bush and his administration who over two terms pretty much did nothing to prevent the actions which led to the current economic downturn. Look up Bush and plunge protection team, great reading.
Obama and the current administration are now "cleaning up" and working to get the economy back on solid footing. Yes you have read this before, but these are the facts.
A plan with some teeth, heaven forbid! Not much different from how tax evasion is handled.
That's the whole premise of the reform. Everyone contributes, everyone benefits.
If you google this stuff you'll see much of it is fear-mongering posted on right wing blogs.
A driver is stuck in a traffic jam going into downtown Chicago. Nothing is moving north or south.
Suddenly a man knocks on his window. The driver rolls down his window and asks, "What happened, what's the hold Up?"
"Terrorists have kidnapped Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. They are asking for a $10 Million ransom. Otherwise, they are going to douse them with gasoline and set them on fire.
We are going from car to car, taking up a collection."
The driver asks, "About, how much is everyone giving?"
"About a gallon."
I see that some health care plan passed the House of Representatives. I am not sure what that means. However, anything would be better than the health care system we have now.
We have access to the best health care in the world but we sure do not have the best health care system in the world.
We are spending twice as much per capita as the next most expensive health care system, without any evidence that our health care system is as good as other systems.
Basically we are paying $500 for a bottle of wine that turns out to be a bottle of Boones Farm Apple Wine.
I can say this because I am retired and don't have to convince the American public that they should pay $2,000,000.00 for liver transplants - for incorrigible alcoholics.
[QUOTE=El Alamo]I see that some health care plan passed the House of Representatives bottle of Boones Farm Apple Wine.
I can say this because I am retired and don't have to convince the American public that they should pay $2,000,000.00 for liver transplants - for incorrigible alcoholics.[/QUOTE]Wow, you know your liquor history. Apple, Cherry, Strawberry. Amazing recall in the fotifies wine category. BW, mu sister was model in most all the early adds for that product. A brush with trivia is upon me.
Que tegas una buen dia.
Chau,
Jazz /