exercised the franchise

"the people should have as little to do as may be about the government. they want information and are consatntly liable to be misled." roger sheman connecticut delegate to the constitutional convention.

and two hundred and thirty-three years later vestiges of that sentiment are still active and they are disenfranchising probably something like half of the population in every presidential election...i have heard a lot of rumblings about doing away with the electoral college and pursuing direct preisdential elections...i have to say that in the eleven presidential elections i have voted in i can count on one hand the number of times my vote was not voided by the "winner take all" system of allocating electoral votes..i checked my voter registration satus the other day ( i am "active" ) and since early voting is in effect here until the end of the month i took advantage of a day off and spent half an hour of my life exercising the franchise...my inclination is to think it really doesn't matter in terms of who gets the electoral votes from this state...it is not "battleground" or a "swing state" ( although i did get a spam call from the sitting president the other day )...it is decided well before the third of next month...if electoral votes were allocated proportionately it might be a very different story and minority ( read donny...although there were four others incluiding john quincey adams ) presidents could be gone for good and all...not this year...and probably not any year...the elctoral college is there to insure that no one inimical to the interests of wealth can becomne president...the curent president is many things...however, with the possible exception of new york, he is not inimical to the interests of wealth...wealth is getting wealthier and they like it that way...john locke is the putative philosophical father of the current system designed in 1787 and john locke was all about not "erecting too numerous a democracy"...he would balk at who can vote now...appalled...apoplectic...he was convinced that only those of visible wealth were capable of governing the rabble ( one presumes he had a classical education and read that mouthpiece of wealth cicero closely )...still a system that can produce a minority president cannot be all that responsive to the wishes of the polity and that is the point...a system that looks democratic ( or, actually, republican ) but rests on oligarchy and its prerogatives...i voted...i voted because they do not like it whan a substantial number of the polity vote...it could mean they might actually have to address issues that are not in the interests of wealth...and they want to avoid that like the plague...these are interesting times and interesting hasn't really even begun just yet...that will come after the third of november...still...abstaining won't make that any better so, while i am not about to advise you which whore politican ( and they are all whores to an individual...a human universal )to vote for i would suggest registering ( if you have not ) and voting...if for no ther reason than to make the bastards uncomfortable