The Jan. 6 letter to the editor by Mr. John Petroff (“Presidency: Election issue hasn’t gone away with war”) is highly inaccurate. This country is a representative democracy. A simple history lesson, a basic understanding of our political system and a willingness to look beyond partisan politics would enable Mr. Petroff to see the importance of our system of government. Our forefathers rallied to the cry of “Taxation without representation,” not “Taxation without democracy.” When our Constitution was being written, its authors were determined to protect the representation of smaller states in our government and to maintain a balance of power between our smaller states and our larger states. If this representation were not protected, it would enable California and New York, based on sheer population, to decide our elections.
Mr. Petroff goes on to tell us that it’s the third time that this has happened. Actually, it is the fourth. The electoral college and the popular vote were at odds in 1824, 1876 and 1888. The 2000 election was the fourth instance of such an occurrence, and simply proves that the electoral college system does work as the forefathers designed it. The representation – the voice – of smaller states was not silenced by the two most populous states in our nation.
Mr. Petroff brushed off the thoughtful findings of the Supreme Court. He preceded his simple statement summing up their findings by questioning the impartiality of the Supreme Court (all the while championing the Florida Supreme Court, a body that was wholly appointed by Democrats). If one wants to examine the Supreme Court’s role in the 2000 presidential election, issues such as equal protection and due process, Constitutional interpretation, roles of state government and judicial ideology find opinions all over the spectrum, but not in Mr. Petroff’s letter.
Finally, I took offense to Mr. Petroff’s suggestion that we bombed Afghanistan “for democracy.” We bombed Afghanistan because the Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists murdered over 3,000 innocent Americans and threaten our nation’s security. My only agreement with Mr. Petroff? President Bush has done an excellent job as president.
Marysville
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