Scrap the Electoral College, reader argues

Scrap the Electoral College

We need to scrap the Electoral College to make our democracy one where every person’s vote has equal weight in electing a president.  

Unfortunately, the Electoral College gives different weights to votes in different states. Based on 2016 election results, a vote in Wyoming had 3 times the weight of a vote in California: California cast 258,870 actual votes per Electoral College vote, whereas Wyoming cast 85,283 actual votes per Electoral College vote.

 Similarly, a vote in Delaware has 1.7 times more weight than one in California.  

The situation created by the Electoral College, however, is worse than the above examples present. If you were a Republican in California – or Delaware – your vote had zero weight in the final tally in the presidential election. Why?  Because California’s 55 electoral votes (and Delaware’s 3 votes) went as a bloc to Clinton; Trump got nothing from your vote.  

Similarly, if you were a Democrat in Wyoming, your vote had zero weight in the final tally for the president because Wyoming’s 3 electoral votes all went in a block to Trump; Clinton got nothing from your vote. What a farce!

In 2012, Trump rightly called the Electoral College “a disaster for a democracy.” Ironically, it was the Electoral College that gave him the presidency, despite his losing the popular vote to Clinton by 1,326,481 votes.  

In 2000, Bush attained the presidency despite losing the popular vote to Gore by 538,948 votes. What a mockery of democracy!

—John Hileman, Hockessin

Disappointed in assault weapons vote

I attended the Senate Judiciary Committee, which heard testimony about SB 163, to halt future sale of assault weapons in Delaware, promoted by Gov. Carney. It was not released for Senate consideration by a 3-2 vote.

A man testified that he found it therapeutic to use an assault gun; another said that the ease of use well suited his "petite wife," who needed a gun that was easy to get off numerous rounds.

Another engaged in browbeating me by suggesting that my position of proposing "common sense gun laws" was actually an attempt to disarm him. When I smiled and said, "Why, no, my position is that this bill merely stops the future sale of assault weapons in Delaware," he argued that any attempt to regulate any gun is an attempt to disarm him. 

Sen. Greg Lavelle claimed that any limit to sales of assault guns is unconstitutional. This claim is not true, since limits to the sale of assault weapons have been upheld in federal circuit courts.

He makes this claim to dismiss opponents, but those of us who support reasonable gun laws will oppose him and other legislators like him. Delawareans who want to stop these sales need to query their legislators to determine just who is on the side of reasonableness. And vote accordingly. 

—Bruce Dalleo, Wilmington

You might be a Trump-nik

I have long been a fan of Jeff Foxworthy’s comedy, and this got me thinking about how his style might be applied to the current sewer surrounding the White House. It would go something like this:

If you like your president destroying official documents — you might be a Trump-nik. If you like your president trafficking in lies and conspiracy theories — you might be a Trump-nik.

If you like government corruption at the highest levels — you might be a Trump-nik. If you like your president destroying our democracy — you might be a Trump-nik.

If you like your president using the office to enrich himself and his family — you might be a Trump-nik. If you like your president siding with dictators over our allies — then you might be a Trump-nik.

If you like the tax bill that makes the rich even richer — you might be a Trump-nik. If you like paying more for your bourbon — you might be a Trump-nik.

If this president’s actions and policies weren’t so inane this might actually be funny. My apologies to Mr. Foxworthy.

—Royce Robbins, Newark