Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 5A
The biggest problem
of the Electoral College
Since the election, I have
seen so many people talking
about how the
Electoral College
is an “outdated”
system and needs
to be abolished so
it can no longer
undermine Amer
ican “democracy.”
The problem
with the arguments
that I'm seeing,
however, is that
they are not talking
about the biggest
problem with the
Electoral College, which is
that people not only do not
understand the system, but
they also do not know why
we have it to begin with.
I shall start by once again
reminding the People that we
are not a “democracy,” but a
Constitutional Republic.
This means that our laws,
systems, and even elections
are not controlled by the
voice of the majority, but
rather there is a process in
place in order to make sure
that the voice of the minority
is not silenced.
In the words of KrisAnne
Hall, “The only difference
between a kingdom and a
democracy is how many peo
ple get to rule over you.”
Once we break free from this
“kingdom” mentality, we
will understand the dangers a
democracy has to individual
liberty for all.
It is also important to
remind everyone that the
President of the United States
is not actually elected by the
People, but rather elected by
the States. For this
reason, the Peo
ple do not elect
the President, but
the States elect
the President. The
Constitution states
that “Each State
shall appoint, in
such Manner as
the Legislature
thereof may direct,
a Number of Elec
tors, equal to the
whole number of
Senators and Representatives
to which the State may be
entitled in the Congress.” The
People do not elect the Pres
ident, but rather the States.
The fact that people are dis
gruntled about the popular
vote of the People is irrele
vant.
In fact, the only reason that
the popular vote is important
in an election is because of
laws and regulations regard
ing political party access
and funding, which is why
third party voters try to reach
that magic 5% number in
order to get equal footing
as the Democratic Party and
the Republican Party. Please
read Article II of the Consti
tution in order to find more
information on the Electoral
College, its process, and its
function.
Sorry to burst the bubble of
the likes of Senator Barbara
Boxer, who has apparently
put forth a bill in order to
abolish the Electoral College,
but the Electoral College
cannot be eliminated through
your every legislative pro
cess, as it was created by
the United States Constitu
tion. In order to change the
system, you must go through
the process of amending the
Constitution, which is very
difficult to do.
If you open your Consti
tution to Article V, you will
see the two says set forth
in order to amend the Con
stitution: a) Two-thirds of
both the House and Senate
of the U.S. Congress vote
for the Amendment, or b)
two-thirds of the States’ legis
latures call a Convention for
proposing the Amendment.
This means that you would
need 38 States to agree to any
proposed Amendment, and it
is very unlikely that 38 States
are going to vote away their
electoral power in regards to
the Presidential seat.
The fact of the matter is
that the Electoral College is
part of the system of checks
and balances which makes
it harder to undermine the
integrity of the election.
It is not something that is
decided by the whim of the
majority, but rather by the
will of the States as outlined
in the Constitution, which is
still the Supreme Law of the
Land.
Jessica Swords is an opin
ion columnist for the Barrow
News-Journal. She can be
reached at jlswords!998@
aol.com.
That for which I am thankful
Editor’s note: This column originally
appeared in the Barrow County News
in 2013.
I count my blessings, one by one,
day by day.
I am thankful for a forgiving God
that walks with me eveiy day, and for
the freedom of religion; for being able
to worship when, where and how I
choose; for my family and the legacies
of family past, for the love that secures
the family ties; for parents that were
always there, for brothers and sisters,
and for mothers-in-law and fathers-in-
law.
I am eternally thankful for a country such as
the United States that allows all of us freedom
of thought, freedom of movement, and the
freedom to pursue dreams.
I give thanks for all friends, and especially
special friends, near and far, who have and
would respond at a moment's request when
and if needed, good friends who have never let
me down.
Among my blessings are all of the roads I
have teaveled, some paved, some dirt, some
high roads and some low roads, but all with
opportunities provided and lessons learned; for
the people, special places and satisfying careers
I found along the way.
There are other blessings and memories for
which to be thankful; for Christmas, for the joys
of Christmas to be and the memories of Christ
mases past, neighborhood friends, birthdays,
and family reunions.
I am thankful for the change of seasons, in
particular the fall such as we have just experi
enced; for the reds, yellows and oranges that tell
their own stories. We wait now for the winter
that will bring us a new spring with new antici
pations and new expectations.
I am thankful for the flowers that bloom in
the spring and, especially, for those flowers that
bloom and look like the photographs attached
to the pot at the nursery.
I give thanks for books to be read on cold
and rainy afternoons, as well as for the time to
read; for books on police work and about the
military, adventure books, self-improvement
books, books with and without photographs,
and history books.
I give thanks for the soldiers, airmen and
sailors standing guard over this
great country and who stand
ready to defend it from all foes
night and day, on holidays and
birthdays, often far from home
and loved ones. I offer thanks
as I often think of those I served
with, a special breed of men that
became family.
For the voices of children at
play and on their knees at night
saying prayers, for puppies and
dogs, hiking trails and fishing
ponds, for childhood memories,
for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl
Scouts, the Scout laws, the Scout promise and
the Scout oath, I give thanks.
I am thankful for the mentors throughout
my life who didn't allow me shortcuts, who
believed in me and believed in my purpose
and causes, and who encouraged me to chase
my dreams. I remain thankful for the ups and
downs in my life, especially the “ups” that far
more than outweigh the “downs”.
I am thankful for restful sleep because I
know there are policemen, firemen, doctors,
nurses and emergency response personnel wait
ing for a call to send them into action to help
someone as I sleep.
I will be forever thankful for sunrises and
sunsets, for being able to stand at the top of a
mountain, for creeks, lakes, rivers and ocean
shores, for Georgia lakes with bass and bream,
for song birds, as well as the great birds of prey
that patrol the skies.
I am thankful to have been a member of
the LaGrange Fligh School Class of ’65. We
visit with each other more frequently now as
we move into our “senioU time. We laugh, tell
forgotten or “untold” stories, offer confessions,
hugs and we say “I love you” with a meaning
we didn’t understand in our high school days.
And, I am thankful for the music of the ‘60s.
Thankful, too, for the music of Roy Orbison,
Willie Nelson, Bob Segar, Waylon Jennings,
Kris Kristofferson, and The Oak Ridge Boys.
May all of you enjoy the true meaning of
Thanksgiving this year. Happy Thanksgiving
to all!
Jimmy Terrell is a retired law enforcement
official. He can be reached at ejterrell@gmail.
com.
jimmy
terrell
jacking rates up at a pretty
fast clip.
Obamacare did address
some of those issues, but it
didn’t bring the cost down as
promised. Younger, healthier
people didn’t buy medical
insurance despite the man
date. And without younger
people in the insurance pool,
the entire house of cards will
collapse.
That’s going to be the big
gest problem Republicans face
in trying to redo Obamacare.
Health insurance works by
having healthier patients in
the pool to subsidize sicker
patients. Over the long term,
those younger patients will
themselves require more med
ical care and another group of
younger people will enter the
system to subsidize their costs.
But if younger people don’t
buy health insurance, the
NOTICE OF
DUI CONVICTION
Driving Under
The Influence
Pursuant to O.C.G.A.
Code Section 40-6-391
Kevin Ducette
136 Sentry Court
Winder, GA 30680
DATE OF ARREST: May 2,2016
PLACE OF ARREST: I-85 SB, Buford Drive
Gwinnett County, GA
CASE DISPOSITION: Conviction, Guilty Plea
COURT: Gwinnett County Recorder’s Court
NAME:
ADDRESS:
Headmaster’s
Corner
Steve Cummings
Amazing Effort - One of the
most important things we do
each year is to participate in
the NE Georgia Food Bank’s
Hunger Bowl Campaign.
This year, ACS collected over
66,000 pounds of food, which
will provide more than 51,000
meals for the less fortunate
this Thanksgiving.
This effort was truly
AMAZING, GIGANTIC,
COLOSSAL, ASTONISH
ING and WONDERFUL in
every way. For the 3rd year
in a row, ACS was the overall
Hunger Bowl winner. But, the
true winners are the beneficia
ries of this generosity.
A big thanks to Pam Ken-
non and Cathy Hayes who
headed up our efforts. And,
thanks to all the faculty mem
bers who encouraged students
to give and who talked to
our students about “why” we
give.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
Buffington continued from 4A
entire health insurance sys
tem will collapse. It cannot
be sustained by only having
sicker patients in the market.
The consequence of that is
even higher premiums which
in turn pushes out even more
people from the pool, espe
cially those who don’t think
they’ll need much healthcare.
Thus begins a “death spiral”
that collapses the entire sys
tem.
How will Republicans
address that fundamental
issue of bringing younger
people into the insurance mar
ket? And how will Congress
restructure the market that
allows for cheaper policies yet
at the same time makes sure
insurance firms don’t deny
coverage to those with pre-ex
isting conditions?
Healthcare is not the kind
of system where traditional
capitalism and market forces
of supply and demand work
very well. While there has
been a push for patients to
do more “shopping around”
in the healthcare market, that
is more theory than practice.
Healthcare isn’t like buying a
new car.
If you are sick, you’re going
to do what your doctor sug
gests most of the time without
asking about the cost. And
jumping around from doctor
to doctor or hospital to hospi
tal isn’t possible for the chron
ically ill who need consistent
care and clear communication
between doctors and related
providers.
As for insurance compa
nies, without some controls
they can be abusive of con
sumers. Insurance companies
aren’t in the business of pro
viding healthcare, they’re in
the business of making money
for shareholders. They would
love nothing more right now
than for the Republican Con
gress to allow them to once
again dump sick patients from
their pools and to be able to
again deny coverage based on
pre-existing conditions as was
done before Obamacare.
Fixing the U.S. health
care insurance system isn’t
as easy as simply “repeal
ing” Obamacare. The issues
are extremely complex and
the potential impact is often
a matter of life or death for
thousands of people.
And the issue doesn't affect
all Americans equally. The
poor have Medicaid. The
elderly have Medicare.It’s the
working middle class that is
really being hit hard by the
rising cost of healthcare and
the rising cost of buying health
insurance.
I don’t have the answer to
fixing all of that. President
Obama didn’t have the answer.
And I suspect the Republican
Congress may not either.
Reforming Obamacare
will bring out all the heavy
political guns. Healthcare and
insurance lobbyists will flood
Washington for the fight.
As a businessman, I hope
they figure out how to lower
my firm’s healthcare costs.
As a patient, I hope they
don’t dump me out of the
system that I need in order to
stay alive.
As an American, I hope
they don’t bankrupt the econ
omy.
Mike Buffington is co-pub
lisher of Mainstreet Newspa
pers, Inc. He can be reached
at mike@mainstreemnews.
com.
November 23, 2016 ~ Crossword Puzzle
Brought to you courtesy of: Akins Ford, Winder, Ga.
Across
1. Come together
5. Past
10. Greek cheese
14. “... there is no angel but
Love”: Shakespeare
15. A sudden raid
16. “Beowulf,” e.g.
17. Sun’s radiation eruption (2
wds)
19. Bank claim
20. In a clumsy manner
21. Small woods
22. Coarse, obnoxious people
23. Ratio of sinh to cosh
24. “ the season ...”
27. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir.
28. Pluck
31. Aces, sometimes
33. Napery (2 wds)
35. Found a new tenant for
37. “ bad!”
38. Angler’s gear
39. Leads
42. Appear
43. Causing one to scratch more
44. Alter, in a way
46. Chester White’s home
47. Warner Bros, creation
48. Column bases
50. Wrangles
52. Belittle
56. Priestly garb
57. Fellow countryman
58. Lady Macbeth, e.g.
59. Lab tube
60. “I had no !”
61. Bad day for Caesar
62. Cavern, in poetry
63. Bungle, with “up”
Down
1. Verde National Park
2. Acknowledge
3. Scarf material
4. Shredded cabbage salads
5. Put down
6. Artisan who hammers metal
into thin sheets
7. Certain exams
8. a one
9. Potato bud
10. Convict population
11. Sudden revelations
12. Associations
13. Bad marks
18. Abnormal respiratory sound
21. Embryonic membranes
23. “For shame!”
24. They may have abs of stone
25. All thumbs
26. Suited to being chosen
28. Bumpkin
29. “The Maids” playwright
30. Foe
32. Small fish that swim upright
34. constrictor
36. Chamber groups
40. Biddy
41. Notched
45. Convene
48. Bait
49. Curtain fabric
50. Indian woman’s traditional
dress
51. Slog
52. “Whatcha ?” (slang)
53. Assistant
54. “Little piggies”
55. Flight data, briefly
57. Bean counter, for short