The greatest threat to our republican form of government is democracy. Our founding fathers knew democracy and individual liberty were incompatible. They understood that democracy would ultimately lead to tyranny of the majority.
By allowing ignorant and uniformed voters to participate in primary elections we promote the principles of democracy and undermine our republican form of government.
The Constitution mandates that the Presidential Electors be appointed by the state legislatures.
Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the
Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, ...
The states violate the Constitution when they allow the political parties to choose the Presidential Electors.
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.
Each state should have one Congressional Representative for every 30,000 inhabitants and we should have the same number of electors.
Replies
(a) My copy of the Constitution says a state cannot have more than one Representative, per 30,000. I interpret that to mean a state doesn't get a 2nd Representative, until it exceeds 59,999.
(b) The two Senators per state, also count toward the number of electors allowed.
The point of the Electoral System was to allow the States to elect POTUS and VP. Allowing one Rep. per 30,000 still weights the states with huge urban areas. California, New York, etc.
Each state is entitled to have one representative for every 30,000. We should have one elector for every senator plus one elector for every 30,000 inhabitants.
Electors are to be appointed by the state legislatures, not appointed by the people or by the political parties.
Frederick,
You are correct about the 60,000 threshold, but keep in mind that for a state to admitted to the Union, it was necessary to have a minimum of 60,000 total inhabitants, not counting Indians, not taxed and 3/5 of all other "persons". So your 60,000 limit would qualify for two Representatives, but it is interesting to conjecture "what if's". None of those extremely low numbers exist anymore in the several states.
We have Montana at the top end of the current ratio at 989,415 Cons/Rep. And at the lighter end of that scale lies Wyoming at 563,626 Cons/Rep ratio. So with a rate of 30,000 Cons/Rep these two states would actually qualify for 33 and 19 Representatives respectively.
However when viewed from the standpoint of largest populations, California and Texas take the cake and would qualify to be allotted 1,319 and 957 Representatives respectively under the restrictions of Article I, Section 2, Clause 3.
Thank you, Morton! I am experiencing some deja vu, here. The manner Senators are selected and the number of Representatives allowed are important issues, to be sure.
The Congressional Apportionment Act of 1929, limited the number of Representatives to 435, from among the Several States, allowing no more than one representative, per 30,000.
It is not clear if the 30,000 is general population, number of citizens, or only qualified voters. If we divide the projected 2020 census population, by 435 = 915,000 average per U.S. Rep. to The House of Representatives, which really waters down individual representation. I definitely agree that this needs to be addressed.
However, the largest crisis that we face, today as a nation, is repealing the 16th Amendment and returning "Currency Regulation" to the U.S. Treasury and out of the hands of the Fraudulent Reserve, aka THE FED, which, as you know is not a U.S. Agency, but is a "For Profit", private corporation of international banksters.
They operate a Ponzi Scheme, by creating paper Bank Notes, of unbacked currency, which they loan to individuals and our government, at interest. Making our currency "DEBT BASED".
What most citizens do not understand is that the amount of funds withheld from their wages, goes to pay just the interest on The Federal Debt, to International Banksters. Con man, Bernie Madoff went to jail for much less. What happened to equal justice, under the law?
The Fed has put Workers on a Treadmill to Enrich the Elite, since 1913. This is the most important issue for 2021, in my humble opinion.
Keep in mind that the choice to crucify Christ instead of Barabass was by "majority rule" = Democracy!!
Democracy is : "Two Wolves and a Lamb voting on what to have for lunch"...
Liberty is : " A well armed lamb, contesting the vote"...
Ben Franklin