Electoral College Reform

No, I’m not for disbanding the electoral college for the popular vote. However, my concern is for states like California, Illinois, Texas – states where members of the minority party have no real voice in the presidential election.

Rather than the current trend of forcing all the states delegates to vote for whichever candidate wins the popular vote, I’m wondering if a better idea is to break up the states’ electors proportionally.

I can see this being done a couple of ways. First, have the proportion of broken out by who wins the counties. This has the advantage of nullifying the power of the cities over the rural, but we get back to the minority parties in the cities being under-represented. Another option would be to break up the electors based on the over vote proportion. This has the reciprocal issues of giving the cities a lot of clout, but better representing minority parties in those densely populated areas.

Neither system is perfect, however I do think either would help better align the spirit and reason of the electoral college with modern demographics.

Same Word, Different Meanings

I talk to my grandma once a week. On our last conversation, she informed me her church was having a crusade.

Me: “What do you mean by crusade?”

Grandma: “Don’t you know what a crusade is?”

Me: “I know what it means in a historical sense, but I doubt a bunch of Oklahoma Baptists are about to invade the Levant on Sunday night.”

She thought that was highly amusing.

Also, a crusade is a fancy name for a revival.

Friday Quote – H.L. Mencken

I believe that it is better to be free than to be not free, even when the former is dangerous and the latter safe. I believe that the finest qualities of man can flourish only in free air – that progress made under the shadow of the policeman’s club is false progress, and of no permanent value. I believe that any man who takes the liberty of another into his keeping is bound to become a tyrant, and that any man who yields up his liberty, in however slight the measure, is bound to become a slave.

Eighteen Years Later

I’m going to start with a book recommendation. Fall And Rise: The Story of 911 by Mitchell Zukoff. I had to stop the book several times to recover emotionally.

Next election will be the first where people born after 9/11 will be able to vote. I’m beginning to understand how my parents felt when they discussed Kennedy assassination or my grandparents talked about Pearl Harbor.

Monday Gunday Roundup

Let’s go through last week, shall we?

We had another mass shooter. Somehow, this doofus got his hands on a weapon, even though he was rejected by NICS. This was a rare instance where the shooter acquired his weapon through a private seller. Who has subsequently been arrested for illegally selling weapons, and who will actually be prosecuted. Unlike most people charged with breaking federal firearms laws.

Wal-Mart came out and said they’re no longer going to sell handgun ammunition or “short-barreled” ammunition. Also, they don’t want people to open carry into their stores. Well, I guess that means Lucky Gunner and my local gun shops get my business.

Kroger then jumped into the corporate shaming of gun owners by asking folks not to open carry in their stores. Then Walgreens and CVS joined the show.

San Francisco decided that the NRA was a terrorist organization. They should know since the NRA has committed so many terrorist acts in San Fran. Like the SLA.

We live in interesting times. Excuse me while I go bug my elected officials.