slow the roll

  The mighty Merle Haggard wrote a song a while back titled, Are the good times really over for good. Today I'm hearing it as a prophecy. It sure seems like we are indeed going downhill like a snowball headed for hell. We are definitely in a hurry. I went to Walmart yesterday and they had mums for sale! Yeah, just the day before I heard 7-11 was selling pumpkin lattes. We sure are in a hurry! I have come to believe and understand how time passes faster as we age. The end is rushing at us and there is nothing we can do to stop it. All we can do is smile and complain. I'm still somewhat in the complaining phase but am learning to simply smile. It's not an easy thing for me to become resigned. I've always felt there must be something I can do. But with each passing day I am becoming a little more convinced of the inevitable, the circle will complete itself and we will all have to start again. It could be the Hindu and Buddhists are onto something after all. 

  In that song Merle mentions that Nixon lied to us all on tv. It was probably the first time the general public became aware of the lies and deceit being practiced by their elected officials. It was the moment the American people saw that the emperor wasn't wearing any clothes. I wasn't really paying attention to politics back then I was still full of the American spirit. Then Nixon lied to us all, I'm not a crook he exclaimed, but he was. He lied about the Vietnam war and how effective our air strikes had been. Tricky Dick they called him. It was the first time I had heard a sitting president being ridiculed, made fun of and shown such disrespect. It was the first step down for me. And today I look at the cadre of Congressmen and Senators we have today and have zero confidence in any of them. There focus is on their careers, not on the good of the country. No longer are they public servants, they consider themselves the parents of the nation! In short, they aren't listening! 

 The one mechanism we have to control all of that is under attack. That mechanism is the vote. There is an effort underway to change that system, to modify it some fashion, pervert it to ensure their continued positions. It has been going on for some time now, it began when they thought to teach that our country is a Democracy in the schools. It is the intent to instill this concept of one person, one vote and the majority wins. All that sounds great doesn't it. Yes, I agree to one person should only cast one vote, but we have a Constitutional Republic not a Democracy. A simple majority does not rule. Rule by a simple majority is mob rule. The electoral college was established and satisfies the absolute requirement for equal representation. That is its' purpose, and it must remain. Without that just three states in the nation could control every decision made. Certainly, that wouldn't be a fair representation at all. The powers that be have succeeded in undermining the confidence in our electoral system. That system is the core of the republic. 

 November of next year we cast our ballots once again for the office of president, among others. What man or woman will be left standing? The choices are currently centered on Biden, and it is presumed that Trump would present a great challenge to that incumbent. The incumbent has the statistical advantage in every case, regardless of the opponent. Statistically 94% of the time over the last one hundred years incumbents won reelection nationally. That fact alone should show you why Biden is even running for a continuance in office. It has nothing to do with ability or competence! It has everything to do with the retention of power. The odds are in his favor. The Democratic party is well aware of that statistic and intends to utilize it to remain in control. If the roles were reversed the Republicans would be doing the same. Why do think Trump is running for office? It's the same thing, statistic show he has the best chance at unseating Biden. It has nothing to do with his abilities, his personality, or agenda. He is the most likely to defeat the incumbent. That's it. 

 The attack on the voting system is just another why to control that. Election interference. That is one thing that is being used in an attempt to disqualify Trump from running. Make no mistake about that, that is the sole purpose of all these indictments. When he was in office it was impeachments. The bottom line is any way to prevent him running is just fine, as long as he doesn't appear on the ballot. The Republicans will attempt to get Biden disqualified in some fashion too. That is the nature of politics in America today. It is a far cry from what was envisioned all those years ago. I think all that changed once it became a paid occupation. It wasn't supposed to be that way. Perhaps that concept is a bit idealistic, but revolutionaries typically are. 

 Those idealists that composed our founding documents also provided a means to alter those documents. Their intent was to provide a means to preserve the ideals, not to weaken those documents. Article Five of the Constitution describes that method. A convention of the States. It is not a convention of the largest voting blocks, it is a convention involving each and every state with equal representation for all. That is the closest thing to one person, one vote. One state, one vote. The reason being, each state, each vote, carries equal weight and strength. We need to utilize that mechanism today. That is my belief. If we are to stop, or at the very least slow down this descent into a democracy, we need to convene a convention of the states to address the issue. Top of the list is securing the legitimacy of the vote. Voter ID and in person voting at the top of the list of reforms! Yes, one person, one vote, accurately tabulated, recorded and open for review in a timely fashion whenever there is doubt. If your bank can track your money to the penny within seconds of transfer from that bank counting votes shouldn't be an issue either! After the votes are tabulated, the electoral college can then do their job. Each state has the same number of electors as number of members in its congressional delegation. One for each member of the house and two senators. A total of 270 votes is required to certify the popular vote. That is a republic.