Letters to the Editor
rphillips111
Published Letters: 222 Editor's Choice: 3
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Pounce, A logical point?
[Read the article: The gloves come off on Iraq]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]A point can be completely logical--and completely wrong at the same time.
If Hillary or any other democrat or republican who claims to want out of this war wants to be realistic, reasonable, and HONEST, here's a real point they can make:
They can promise that we have no intention of remaining in Iraq for years and years, we will construct no permanent military installations there, and we will not keep the largest embassay in the world open in Bagdad, because we do not plan to rule the middle east.
That promise charts a course for leaving, sets no deadlines, cannot be construed as "not supporting the troops", but dynamites into smithereens the policy behind our going to Iraw and sets the stage for drawdowns and evacuations.
Tey won't to that, because no matter what the democrats claim to get votes, they have bought the Bush foreign policy. Apparently hook, line, and sinker. But they do not want to admit it.
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Abolish the Electoral college?
[Read the article: Let's abolish the Electoral College]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]While Mr. Epps argues against all the reasons for the electoral college, his arguments are not compelling. Every reasaon he mentioned for not changing the constitution is valid, even though it once elected my cousin Abraham Lincoln president with barely 40 per cent of the popular vote (and he proceeded to destroy the republic Mr. Epps' "high minded elite" had created, and admitted as much--"to save the union").
The main reason to keep the electoral college is to give smaller states more power in electing presidents, like each state having two senators gives them extra power in Congress.
Mr. Epps also mentions one of the most monstrous rulings of the Earl Warren Supreme Court as a good thing--the court's requirements that both houses of state legislatures had to be based solely on population (unlike most states at the time and Congress). It's funny they based that ruling on the 14th amendment in part and an extroardinary doctrine they invented to justify it.
The court held that the Congressional system did not apply to state legislatures (which would require one house on pop and one on political subdivisions), because the states predated the constitution and therefore their legislatures had to be on populaton only. Well, in that case, since the states predated the constitution and the constitution explicitly grants all powers not delegated to the national government, shall remain with the states, what power did the Supreme court have to even enter the field of state legislative apportionment. Justice Frankfurter, by the way, strenously objected to the court's reapportionment ruling.
That ruling, in effect, has helped create several city states around the country--LA, Houston, Miami, Chicago, NY, and Atlanta, chiefly. If the electoral college were abolished these city-states would determine the President of the United States and suck up a greater share of appropriations and every other asset of our government and taxpayers across the country. We would have real tyranny by a rapacious, and yes, liberal majority.
It would be crazy for most states to vote to amend away the Electoral College.
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Rumsfeld's legacy
[Read the article: Rumsfeld's legacy: Iraq and Dick Cheney]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Frankly, I'm surprized that Rumsfeld and Cheney are so close. Their policies are quite different, so they must remain friends for other reasons.
Donald Rumsfeld was a great Secretary of Defense. He took the job to end the remants of cold waw policies and thinking in the Defense department, to downsize it manpower-wise and make more mobile and efficient--and economical. He was the greatest champion of the volunteer army, and two days after 911 Rumsfeld specifically stated we would not return to a draft, which he termed the most wasteful and inefficient use of manpower.
A lot of traditional military types, including draft proponents like McCain hated Rumsfeld. All that talk that we went into Iraq with too few troops by some generals, McCain, and others was code for "we need the draft back". They wanted a WWII style occupation of Iraq and they want us to stay in Iraq like we have stayed in Europe and Korea and Japan since WWII. In fact, I read in one place shortly after the Iraq invasion that Rumsfeld was opposed to the occupation of Iraq, but I only saw that once, uncorroborated.
Rumsfeld managed to keep the Draft Now crowd at bay and did a fair job of ending the Cold War mentality in the military, too. I hated to see him go.
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Deathkit, you are marxian . . .
[Read the article: Let's abolish the Electoral College]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Sounds like you've been reading the commie manifesto.
Indeed there is too much money involved in political campaigns, the parties are way too much alike on most issues--immigration, for instance (they are both for open borders), and elitism is rampant, as it has been increasingly since the end of WW II (C. Wright Mills wrote "The Power Elite" more than fifty years ago, and concluded there is a ruling class in the country, And IT'S LIBERAL).
A caution about all the posts on this subject who want more equality and voter participation, etc. DeToqueville wrote during his 1820s visit to our country, "the great danger in a democracy is that Equality will become more important than Liberty". In fact, as one poster even wrrote, democracy means plurality elections, which essentially results in minority rule. I always thought democracy was about majority rule, not government by organized ethnic or other minorities able to get 35 per cent of the vote in an election and win with 65 opposed to them. That is plurality rule. The Electoral college protects states outside the emerging city state phenomenon and at the same time requires a majority (of electoral votes) for election of Presidents. Great idea, with some drawbacks.
Had Bush sought to build a long-term majority based on the red states instead of embarking on a policy of world domination, bedrock america could have taken back our country and our government. Instead, he betrayed us, and the nation, too.