To the editor:
Support for democracy in the United States recently suffered a disappointing setback with Arkansas’s 86th General Assembly. District representatives voted against allowing the people of the United States to elect the President.
Of course, the U.S. Constitution says nothing about “the people” electing their president, anyway. Only a select group of party electors have such privilege. The votes are counted in early January by the U.S. Congress, well after the people’s poll in November of the election cycle.
In fact, voters in general were never meant to be polled. “The people” were not allowed to participate until the 1820’s.
Today, the best Arkansas can do is continue to undermine democracy with the state’s support of the Electoral College voting method.
Sen. Gilbert Baker expressed his distrust of the majority on the East and West coasts. Baker wished to discriminate against the majority based upon regional location. Unfortunately, the struggle between democracy and party dominance is over. One decade from now, democratic decisions will be made by software engineers and those who control online information transfer.
Democracy will be reduced to a virtual reality program, with virtual results. No need to bother the 86th General Assembly, democracy is finished in the U.S. Who trusts the majority, anyway?
Gene Mason
Jacksonville
