The recent presidential election was a study in how to win with little or no voter confidence.  Most of us voted with a prayer on our lips and hope in our heart.  One camp wanted political change at any cost and the other camp wanted to ride an ole horse across the finish line to nirvana.  We now have 4 years to learn who won and who didn’t win.  I can already tell you that the American people were the losers in the presidential election of 2016.

There are many who feel that the electoral college needs to be repealed and that our election should depend entirely upon the will of the popular vote.  Under this approach there are 6 states that could have elected the president in our recent election.  The population of these six states are more than the number of voters that voted.  Do we set up a system that has the potential to disenfranchise most of the nation?  I think not.  If your candidate lost the election, don’t waste time in trying to change a system that has worked since the formation of our nation, try to come up with a candidate that will appeal to more of the electorate.  Try to come up with platform planks that will appeal to all of our country.  Both parties need to start running a campaign on issues, not one that calls the opposition out for their shortcomings.  One might say, ” I am going to put 12 million young people to work, building infrastructure.  The other says ” I am going to put 13 million people to work building bridges and repairing potholes and I am going to do it cheaper”.  Let us decide who can do it and who can’t.  Despite what the elected representatives think, we the people, who they represent, are not idiots.  I, for one, can use the brain that I was graced with.  In fact, boasting, I may be better able to determine what is best for me.

We, as a nation, needs to take a hard look at ourselves.  We need to quit giving so much thought to what other nations think is best for us.  Our nation was founded on the principal that citizens had certain rights and freedoms.  These rights and freedoms were based on what the majority of citizens felt were in the best interest of our country.  Some of these rights and freedoms have been eroded in an attempt by a few vocal dissidents to weaken our nation.  We have spent too much time trying not to hurt the feelings of some small minorities, sometimes at the expense of the rest of our people.  Our representatives need to take a very good look at how they have voted on legislation.  Are they enacting laws that are the ones that keep our country on the path that our forefathers envisioned?  If not then they have until the end of their current term to make amends.

Gary