Letter: U.S. government model outmoded

Friday November 23, 2018

Editor:
America has wandered far from the vision of our Founding Fathers.


They believed that laws, not heavily armed sovereign citizens, protected us from an authoritarian government.


They designed a representative democracy, but they couldn't foresee the eventual size of America, or the extreme population divergence.


Two U.S. senators represent Wyoming's 580,000 residents. California's 39.5 million people also get just two senators.


Seven states each have fewer than 1 million residents. Four have over 20 million each.
The 25 least populated states hold only 17.37 percent of Americans, yet they are represented by half our senators.


This under-representation of the most densely populated states carries over to the antiquated Electoral College, allowing losers of the popular vote to become president.


Four of our Supreme Court justices were nominated by presidents who lost the popular vote, but won the Electoral College, which long ago outlived its purpose.


Those nominees were approved by our grossly lopsided Senate.


An earlier Supreme Court decision allowed unlimited contributions to elections through Super Political Action Committees.


Jane Mayer's book, "Dark Money," thoroughly reveals details.


The justices also gutted the Voting Rights Act, allowing many states to hurriedly make laws kneecapping voting rights for minorities.


The rural states, and the very rich, can now overwhelm the voting power of large majorities.


We can no longer call ourselves a representative democracy when so many citizens aren't equally represented.


Jane Beck
Brecknock Township


U.S. government model outmoded