Four ways to fix the government

 First eliminate the Electoral College.

Conservatives whine that they do not want to get rid of it because they don't want to be ruled by decisions of people in New York and California. Which seems bigoted. Those are both large and diverse states. It is code for “liberal” but truthfully, they are more mixed politicly than most states in the conservative South. Proof it is bigoted: They don’t mention Texas which has 10 million more people than New York, but it is conservative, so it works against their argument.

The problem with the EC is just that it flips their concern around giving more power to 1-3 swing states. In 2000 a mere 537 votes in Florida counted more than the 543,816 nationwide votes.

In 2016 they credit the upsets in Wisconsin (122,748 vote difference), Pennsylvania (44,292) and Michigan (10,704) as why Clinton lost. Meaning 177,744 votes spread across three states counted more than the almost 3 million nationwide votes.

There is something intrinsically broken here in terms of representation when one party has gotten the most votes in 4 of the last 5 elections but "lost" 3 out of those same 5.

 

Second Make the Senate Representational.

If the country had a senate based on population it would better represent the country. California’s senators represent almost 20 million people each, while Wyoming’s senators represent 286,191 each. That’s slightly less than a 1:80 ratio. The lack of representation extends out like ripples in a pond. Even though they have a majority, Republicans they represent 15 million less Americans than their Democratic colleagues and using this majority they denied Obama (who actually got the most votes) a SCOTUS selection giving Trump the opportunity to select his third. That means a 6th GOP justice (making the court 6-3) will be nominated by president who lost the popular vote by almost 3 million votes and will be confirmed by senators representing 15 million less Americans.

This is not representational government.  It’s tyranny of the minority.

  

Third Eliminate Gerrymandering.

Gerrymandering is redrawing political districts in states to favor one party over the other. Both parties do it (although republicans do it more), and they do it to keep “safe” seats. But the problem with “safe” seats is both complacency and intractability. Eliminating gerrymandering means elected officials must change with the times as issues evolve and make compromises to appeal to voters across the political spectrum. They must address issues at a local level instead of nationalizing local elections. This will reduce extremes in both parties, which reduces rhetoric and fosters cooperation since they have to win the votes of a cross section of society and not just a sampling of their own party.

 

Fourth Reinstate the Fairness Doctrine (and make sure it extends to internet outlets).

Instated in 1949 by the FCC to ensure honest, equitable and balanced presentation of controversial issues, the fairness doctrine was eliminated by Reagan in 1987. This gave rise to infotainment of Fox News and Conservative Talk Radio. This has led to people getting information not based on truth or accuracy but rather what they are comfortable with based on their implicit biases. Sadly, when given an option many people will not base their opinions of facts (as it should be) but rather seeking out information that reinforces their existing beliefs even if it is not true. Over the decades it has been weaponized. Legitimate media has been vilified by propaganda. Science and provable facts have been repeatedly ignored. Foreign adversaries have used social media to take advantage of it putting out misinformation. Websites like The Blaze and Breitbart put out information to create division and resentment sometimes using false information and other times using true information but taking it out so of context that it can be interpreted as meaning the opposite of what it actually says.  This type of Infotainment has resulted conservatives demonizing the left so completely that people believe we are pedophiles that are trafficking children in pizza parlor basements and drinking their blood to stay young. That is an actual conspiracy theory on the right. It has gone mainstream with actual representatives saying they believe it and actual office holders refusing to denounce it. Nonsense this extreme would not have reached a national level if the Fairness Doctrine were still in effect.

Being on the right side of history

 As I said before, I would much rather be posting about sci-fi, writing, tv, comics, movies, and books but because Trump is such an existential danger to our country and the Constitution, I have to speak out. I used to *only* post about those things. But now...

A little while ago local photographer mocked me sarcastically saying he could see I was changing so many minds. Make no mistake my feelings were not hurt, because his barely literate posts revealed that he was not burdened with an over abundance of education or understanding. But he made a point (probably by accident).

I'm not changing minds.

If you care more about party than country you will still vote for Trump no matter the number of laws violated. No matter how much of the Constitution is violated. No matter how much our credibility abroad is diminished. No matter how many lies are told. No matter how many lives are lost. You will gobble up the untrue smears against BLM, Antifa, scientists and journalists. No matter how many people are murdered, no matter how emboldened the white supremacists become, no matter what facts are provided, no matter the sources sighted or recordings exist.

I really do believe that Dr. King was right and that the arc of our history of our country, while long, will bend toward justice. Depending on how this election and the next few years unfold, it may be decade, or a generation, or a century, but eventually, people will look back at this Administration and see what we see when we look back at Nixon, or McCarthy, or with the current revelation of forced sterilization in ICE detentions centers, possibly even Hitler (without it being hyperbole).

However, the question persists: Why continue when it falls on deaf ears (or due to unfollowing or unfriending is simply "preaching to the choir")?

A.J. Muste nailed it with this quote when he was asked a similar question by a reporter.

Twenty years of propaganda has led to hate... and Trump.

 I miss posting about comics, sci-fi, writing and other nerdy things. I really do. I used to avoid posting about politics, but now my entire social media feed is virtually political. The reason is simple.

This is not any other election. This is not any other President.

With each day our commander in chief becomes more unstable, craven and venal. With over 20 years of Fox News and the advent of right wing propaganda sites like the Blaze, Breitbart, InfoWars, etc. The right has demonized the left to the degree that they hate us more than the Russians. They don't see us as Americans, hell, they barely see us has human. Their hate is so all consuming they will follow anyone who opposes us. They will ignore facts, science and truth if they don't fit their political view and will accept fake news and lies because they are more comfortable with what they are hearing.

Enter Donald Trump, who is at worst a traitor to America and at best a useful idiot to Putin. A man who who is sexist, racist, and cowardly. But he is still followed by a staunch 40-something percent of the electorate. They share posts that are factually incorrect or just plain hateful. They don't even care because the ends appear to justify the means. They will over look the hundreds of thousands that have died due to his mishandling of COVID (in fact many prolong it by refusing to wear a mask). They will overlook the graft of overcharging the secret service at Tump resorts and hotels. They will overlook the violations of the Constitution like asking the foreign countries for help during an election or holding people without benefit of counsel. They will overlook violations Hatch act during the RNC. They will overlook the appointments of cronies that have conflicts of interest like the Post Master General, who owns stock in the private industry competition. They will overlook mocking a disabled reporter. They will overlook eliminating oversight on COVID relief for small business that resulted in millions going to large companies before small companies could get aid. They will repeat and accept talking points that are divisive. Like trying to turn people who are working against those who lost their jobs because they are collecting unemployment. Or blame immigrants for the shrinking job market. They will accuse those who want everyone to have health care of being a communist. They will accuse those who are dedicated to fighting fascism of being fascists. Or the false notion that all protesters are looting and rioting when 93% of BLM protests are peaceful (and how many of the remaining 7% were actually started by BLM and not outside agitators trying to make BLM look bad?). They will overlook ordering violence toward peaceful protesters for a photo op in front of a church. They will repeat scare tactic lies that the left are going to take your guns or outlaw Christianity even though they made that claim in 2008 and 2012 and it didn't happen then either. Let us not forget the lies. Lie after lie after lie. Even thought there is video to prove the lies. He lies like others breath. And yet he is supported by people who claim to be Christian. In fact, his followers will launch smear campaigns against good people if they disagree with the president (like they have Fauci). They spread ridiculous conspiracy theories (QAnon, PizzaGate). Their hypocrisy is mindboggling. They will defend him no matter how great the evidence and attack the other side no matter how slim the evidence or small the issue. No moral act is too repugnant (like mocking Biden for visiting his son's grave, or ignoring Trump bragging about sexual assault, attacking and insulting Gold Star families and service men and women, or stealing from a children's cancer charity). They will give him credit for the economy that he inherited from Obama and ruined by going a trillion dollars into deeper into debt to give the rich tax cuts, resulting in the US going into a recession literally the month before COVID hit. They defend his change in immigration policy that resulted in the inhumane caging of children, separating them from their parents. They ignore the 14 year old warning from the FBI that white supremacist are infiltrating police at local levels across the country and find excuses to look the other way when countless people color are killed. "He had a record, he committed a crime, it was self defense." Even when the victims were unarmed, cuffed, outnumbered 4 to 1, shot in the back, or asleep. They pretend to support "law and order" but cheer the murder and assault of legal protesters who are doing nothing wrong or simply defending themselves. And yet, at the end, we are treated like the traitors and animals. We are beaten and maced and shot at like it's a liberal safari.

We are compared to demons and falsely accused of wanting to teach pedophilia as a normal sexuality in schools because we support LGBTQ issues. They falsely accuse us of being baby killers because we support a woman's right to chose, even going so far as falsely claiming liberals are taking newborns slitting their throats thin putting them back in the mothers and claiming it's an abortion. A horrifying notion. One only a sick mind could come up with, and yet it's a false claim they make about us. (They truth about abortion is the conservatives don't want to end it because they want to use it has a wedge issue for elections. If you don't believe me consider this: Since Roe v. Wade in 1973 we have had a conservative majority on the Supreme Court for 45 of those 47 years. Enough to over turn it. We have had six Republican presidents - 28 years). These repeated lies and conspiracy theories that make them hate us, and make them want to harm us. They also make them turn there backs on all the moral and decent things they have spent years claiming to support: truth, family values, honesty, integrity, dealing fairly with others or even treating others as they wish to be treated.

These repeated lies and conspiracy theories have caused unreasonable resentment and hate in the hearts of our friends and neighbors. At least I hope that's what caused it. I pray that's what cause it. Because the alternative is that they were always bloodthirsty, dishonest people who hid their hatred behind false piety.