Re: OT: Electoral College [Re: U.S. federal income tax program]
On Monday 29 August 2005 05:23 pm, Steve Lamb wrote:
> Katipo wrote:
> > David Jardine wrote:
> >> I still don't see the difference between "mob rule" (as used here) and
> >> democracy - and how electoral colleges produce the latter rather than
> >> the former.
> >
> > That's what I said.
>
> Because the original intent of the Electoral College was for the people
> to elect representatives who would then look into and considered all
> candidates for the Presidency and cast votes in accordance with whom they
> felt was the best person for the job.
No, it was in hopes that out of each state, there would be at least N number
of people who knew how to read. Literacy wasn't something the US could brag
about in the late 1700s. Given that English literacy is easily 90+% and the
advent of television (as poor of an information source as it may be), the EC
is thoroughly obsolete in it's purpose.
> This was in the time when mass media
> didn't exist and it was felt that the general population couldn't really
> gather enough information on any candidates outside a small radius of where
> they lived geographically. They could, however, learn about the people
> they were to elect to the EC.
Even though it doesn't make a lick of difference because they are still
appointed, not elected.
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