Blog # 465      STATES ARE NOT PEOPLE [A pliny Editorial]

The recent neighborhood mugging, by the U.S. Senate, of The U.S. House of Representatives, and arguably, of the American people, has caused us to re-think the democratic validity of that arrogant body. It is well known that, in our bi-cameral system, there are two houses, one, made up of State Representatives (the “Lower House”), with elected representatives, proportionally allocated to the population of the respective State, and a Senate (the “Upper House”) composed of two Senators per State, regardless of population. We find it, curious, that the Founders, saw fit to emulate the British, bi-cameral system, with a House of “Commons,”elected by and representing the people, and an unelected Upper House, the House of” Lords”, [whose members are appointed or inherited], inconsistent with their pretensions of concern for citizen equality and one man, one vote. Moreover, it was principly, at odds with their dedicated efforts to reject the European system of privilege and hierarchy. The Founders’ historic and radical dogma, “all men are created equal,” seems to have had an exception  respecting  the design of the Legislative Branch of Government.

A review of the Federalist Papers, would reveal a mistrust of the uninformed mob, which, after much contention, seemed to predominate. Consequently, a “more, sober and responsible” upper House was agreed to. This does seem to be, inconsistent, at best, and hypocritical, at worst, for the brave declarants of the message of “all men are created equal.”

As provided in the Constitutional system,  Senators represent States (which are neither people, nor citizens) while, by contrast, the Members of the House of Representatives, represent the people, viz., the Nation’s voters. In addition to its insult to any purported claim of a democratic voting system, it, in actuality, is antithetic to the very definition, of a representative democracy. The undemocratic effect, is that the relatively small populated States, like Idaho, Nevada and Montana, are awarded the same number of Senators, as States with very large populations, like New York. California and Illinois. Why should real estate have a greater influence than the human voter? How can this possibly, square with the purportedly, avowed, rectitude of the American Constitution?

It will be remembered that this purportedly, deliberative, part of Congress, unanimously refused, for purely partisan reasons, to deliberate upon a legitimate candidate for SCOTUS, properly nominated by a Democratic President, refused to process a plethora of the people’s legislation, passed by the House of Representatives and, refused to Constitutionally, convene a legitimately constituted trial to honestly deliberate, upon the crimes and misbehavior, indicting our President.

This essentially undemocratic architecture, was responsible for the outcome of the Trump Impeachment matter. The entire, Republican Senate, under the puppetry of their hound dog like, affect-lacking, laconic puppetmaster, Mitch McConnell, compliantly and, in 100% lock-step, partisan fashion, found that Trump’s intrigues with Russia, and its autocratic leader, the most threatening enemy of the United, States, concerning the outcome of  American elections, was not punishable.It is to be emphasized that the published results of respected National polls, revealed, that most American citizens wanted a meaningful trial and, if proven warranted, a conviction.

An analogous, anti-democratic, incongruity, with the principles of, “one man, one vote vote” and the “equality” mantra, was effected by the Founders, in their creation of The Electoral College. Their diffidence and evident disrespect for the common man, apparently, was also operative, in its prophylactic creation. In this undemocratic institution, electors, respectively, equal to the number of House representatives of each State, plus two more, ultimately, decide for the American public, who is to be its President and Vice President.

Why have Americans historically tolerated such travesties against our avowed ideals?  According to our research, no less than, five American Presidents, including our present miscreant, have been awarded the Presidency, by the Electoral College, which awards were inconsistent with the popular (people’s) vote. Any citizen who will persist in maintaining some reservation, concerning a direct, popular vote, without the deliberative, “check on the mob,” ought to be reminded of the past election, in which the purported, firewall of the Electoral College was solely, responsible for the election of the choice of the “populist, mob,” Donald Trump.

With respect to the inequity of the present architecture of our bi-cameral Legislature, it may be that the solution would be, to increase the number of House Representatives, to arrive at fair, and proportional, expression of the National voice, and thereby, effect a true democratization of our Legislative Branch of our government

We, in the interest of (our) democracy, earnestly recommend, that the unfair, vestigial, institution of the Electoral College, be relegated without delay, to the, infamous, dust bin of History.

-p.