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Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com.
FIRST STEP TOWARD SECESSION? Whether Illinois — or any state — should
adopt the National Popular Vote initiative as described by Martha Biondi
necessarily causes one to ponder the consequences of such a move
[“Dropping out of the Electoral College,” Jan. 17]. Biondi may
think NPV is “compelling and pragmatic” and The New York Times may call it
“ingenious,” but those testimonials don’t address the
real issues that underlie any substantive discussion of NPV. First and foremost among the concerns that come to
mind are very troubling “legality” questions that would center
on the effect NPV will have on the “franchise rights” of
citizens in every state whose electoral votes were cast for the NPV
“winner” where that state’s popular vote had been won by
the NPV “loser.” A compelling legal argument could easily be made for the
proposition that the majority voters in each such state had been
disenfranchised. Frankly, it’s difficult to imagine a federal court
not agreeing with such a challenge or the U.S. Supreme Court not striking
down NPV for this reason alone. Another concern that comes to mind centers on the
structure of our government as organized in the Constitution. NPV, if
adopted by all 50 states, would have the effect of changing the form of the
United States national government from a republic to a “pure”
democracy. There are certainly those who would argue that such a structural
change should require a Constitutional amendment and not an “end
run,” which NPV appears to be. Indeed, if the 50 states were to adopt
NPV, they would have effectively written the Electoral College right out of
the Constitution, reducing it to a sham at best, since 100 percent of the
electoral votes would automatically be given to the NPV winner by fiat. The effect of changing from a republic to a pure
democracy has far-reaching consequences that need very serious
consideration quite apart from the legality of the process by which such a
change would come about. Presidential candidates in the NPV scenario will
necessarily spend all of their campaigning efforts in major population
centers and the largest media markets. Thus the smaller states will be left
out in the cold altogether and their electoral votes will be automatically
cast for the NPV winner, regardless of whom they vote for. Candidates can
safely ignore these states in the post-NPV world. In this context, it might
be well to revisit the writings of the Founders, wherein they articulate why they opted for the
republic as their preferred form of government. As a sidebar, it should also be considered that
following the adoption of NPV the U.S. Senate’s structure will come
under attack. How can you possibly justify having two senators from every
state, regardless of their population, in a pure democracy? Really, the
Senate will need to be abolished, leaving only the House of Representatives
as the legislative branch of government and wiping out once and for all the
voice or influence of the smaller states in the legislative process. That
done, what’s the reason for small states to stay within the Union?
They might be better off to band together in their own country.
One
could go on and on, but it would seem to me that NPV is likely to go up in
smoke during the first legal test case that brings it under attack. The
filing of such a case down the road is a certainty.
Thomas J. Immel
Feldman, Wasser, Draper & Cox
Springfield
MAKE THEM FOLLOW THE LAW In many elections we hear the slogan
“It’s the economy, stupid.” I prefer the phrase
“It’s the Constitution, sir.” I believe the founders were
of the mind that they would choose death ahead of dishonoring the
Constitution. Today there may be a few such people elected at the federal
level in our government; however, this country is in trouble and needs all
637 elected members to have the same resolve as the founders.
We must create and pass an amendment to our
Constitution that will impart to elected members of the federal government
the fortitude to follow our Constitution. Politicians, who are crazed to stay on at any cost,
do not have this fortitude; they will never have it so long as their wants
are placed ahead of the endurance of their country. This must be corrected,
or it will be the reason the great American experiment fails. Bob Ruble Springfield
NO BUYERS FOR BUSH’S NEXT WAR The recent release of the National Intelligence
Estimate on Iran was the historic “shot heard ’round the
world” against Dick Cheney’s War Party and those who have been
building for an attack against Iran.
Faced with Cheney’s attempt to block release of
the NIE, members of the intelligence community were willing to go to the
press to leak it, even if it meant going to jail. The timing of the release
had to do with Cheney’s brief visit to the hospital for an irregular
heartbeat. The War Party has, we hope, been dealt a mortal blow.
More important, a new debate is opening up on the need to radically change
our foreign policy toward Iran.
The real problem lies not with Iran but with
Washington. One reason behind our policy has been the Israelis, who, since
the fall of Iraq, see Iran as the new regional threat. This argument has
been expressed not only by the Israeli lobby (American Israel Public
Affairs Committee) but also by the neoconservatives. Iran has a unique
cultural heritage and must be acknowledged as the great regional power it
is, without whose cooperation there can be no stability or security in the
Middle East. And Iran must be dealt with as an equal partner and integrated
fully into the international community.
It is quite clear that the Gulf States do not want a
war with Iran. Bush’s recent trip to the Middle East, culminating
with his visit to Saudi Arabia, was instructive. Bush was selling a war
with Iran, and the Saudis weren’t buying it. Beni Kitching Springfield
NO LOVE IN THIS REVOLUTION The media blackout of Ron Paul is deplorable. He
smoked everyone in the Florida debate, so they exclude him from the Super
Tuesday primary [coverage]? This is illegal, isn’t it? Russell Hunt Tallula
GROOMER LOST AND FOUND I heard this morning that you shouldn’t mess
with three things: a woman’s hairdresser, her plastic surgeon, and
her dog groomer. Well, someone has messed with my dog groomer, and
I’m mad. I called a far-west-side business to make an
appointment with my dog groomer, Leslie, and was told that she no longer
works there. They told me they could give me no further
“personal” information, including where her new
“business” is located. I have since been told by others that
the original response from this business was to make appointments and then,
when clients showed up, to tell them that Leslie was on vacation or sick.
At least now they’re being honest, to a degree.
I have found Leslie and feel it only fair to level
the playing field by sharing with her other loyal clients that Leslie is
now at her own dog-grooming salon, Cutright’s, at 310 S. Grand Ave.
W. (217-828-0191). My little Shih-Tzu is there right now, and she will be
beautiful when I go back to pick her up. Don’t mess with my dog
groomer!
Maurine Richter New Berlin
FIRST ISRAEL, THEN THE U.S. Like a fast freight train that travels through your
town in the middle of the night, the warning sign will be like a wildfire
that is about to burn you up! The United States government is burning the land of
Israel like the holocaust in creating the Palestinian state! Stripping the
Jewish sovereignty of the Abraham blessing to the fleshly Ishmael seed of
the Palestinian state is spitting in the face of the God of Israel. The Holy Bible says bless the ones that bless Israel
and curse the ones that curse Israel. The United States government will pay
a high price for going against the Abraham blessing! The United States people will suffer more physically,
mentally, emotionally, and financially over the Palestinian state. If Israel is divided in half, then the God of Israel
will divide the United States in half! An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth.
George Culley Pinckneyville
This article appears in Jan 24-30, 2008.
