On December 5, Republican leaders of the U.S. House refused to put HR 5388 on the schedule of legislative business. HR 5388 is the bill to temporarily expand the size of the US House, so as to give the District of Columbia a voting member, plus add an additional member for Utah. On December 4, the Utah legislature had passed a bill dividing the state up into 4 districts, but that action is now moot, unless the new Congress takes up a similar bill in January 2007.
One corrupt national adminstration after another wants to ‘spread democracy’ around the globe while the American citizens of Guam, the Mariannas [and other American Pacific Islands], PR, The United States Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia are less than total residents, —-like women, southern slaves, non property holding males, and indentured servants of both genders upon the time of the unamended Constitution.
Are we going to spend the rest of the 21st Century as a failed, old style global empire —or get rid of Alaska, Hawaii, and other ‘territories’ out side the original 48 contiguous states, make the District of Columbia a county of the state of Maryland and allow the Department of Defense to do it’s base job —-THE Security of the Homeland!
If people knew history, they would understand we are far from the original intent of the constitution,The founding fathers had it right,in every regard.if we had paid attention we would not be in the position we are today,with half the world hating us.
Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.
Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
‘Tis folly in one Nation to look for disinterested favors from another; that it must pay with a portion of its Independence for whatever it may accept under that character; that by such acceptance, it may place itself in the condition of having given equivalents for nominal favours and yet of being reproached with ingratitude for not giving more. There can be no greater error than to expect, or calculate upon real favours from Nation to Nation. ‘Tis an illusion which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard.
George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796
‘Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent Alliances, with any portion of the foreign world.
George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796
Harmony, liberal intercourse with all Nations, are recommended by policy, humanity and interest. But even our Commercial policy should hold an equal and impartial hand: neither seeking nor granting exclusive favours or preferences; consulting the natural course of things; diffusing and diversifying by gentle means the streams of Commerce, but forcing nothing; establishing with Powers so disposed; in order to give trade a stable course.
George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796
Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.
George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796
I am sure that I would not like the way the people in DC would vote. I am also sure that they deserve a vote in the House of Representitives. They are not a state, so they should not get a vote in the Senate. Why do they also need to add a member for Utah? To pervent a tie breaker situation? If you need one more vote than half to pass then you don’t need an odd number in the house.
The extra Utah rep was so that a Republican majority would pass the bill, in theory.
With a Democratic majority coming in, it’s highly doubtful any bill in the next Congress giving DC a voting rep will toss any bones to Utah.
“The founding fathers had it right, in every regard”
HUH? Anti Democracy Electorial College?
No vote for any woman?
Limited votes for non property owners?
Slaves as three fifths of a human being?
Quit buy your meds over the inter net!
You’d better get used to the Electoral College, because it’s not going anywhere. There’ve been about 700 attempts to change or abolish it. It’s unlikely that 2/3 of both houses of Congress would approve an amendment to abolish the EC; it’s even less likely that 38 states would ratify it.
It’s all academic, but direct election of the president would change the very nature of the campaigns. Candidates would spend almost all of their time in the big population centers and on the airwaves. The small states would NEVER be visited by a presidential candidate. (Remember that West Virginia was a battleground in 2000.)
Imagine the uncertainty of a nationwide recount. Instead of waiting for the returns from Florida, we’d be awaiting the returns from Honolulu and some Chicago precincts.
Democracy? James Madison, often called the Father of the Constitution, said that direct democracies were “short in their lives and violent in their deaths.”
According to a contact in Utah this bill would have meant that all of the districts in Utah would be up for re-election who would really benifit?
Donald Raymond Lake, your personal attack was out of place.
The Constitution nowhere says women can’t vote.
You made several other errors, but you are partly right that the Electoral College is “anti-democratic.”
Steve Rankin is, as usual, right in his explanation of just why an “anti-democratic” content is there.
Donald Raymond Lake
HUH? Anti Democracy Electorial College?
We Are NOT supose to be a Democracy!,we are supose to be a Constitutional republic,most of the founding fathers realized true democracy always leads to tranny.
No vote for any woman?
That is because it was not for the federal government to have any say in it.election Procedures and voting was strictly up to each Soverign state,it`s called the 10th amendment.
Limited votes for non property owners?
where do you see this in the original constitution?
Slaves as three fifths of a human being?
this was done as a compromise for taxing purposes,since there were no income taxes,everyone paid a poll(head)tax,based on population of the state,the souhthern slave owners did not want to pay a full poll tax on their slaves.
you should read the book “the Making of america”
http://www.xmission.com/~nccs/making_of_america.html
it will enlighten you.
Charles Broy, you are partly correct on the 3/5 Compromise. The non-Slave owners did not want the Slaves counted as “full-persons” because that would have given more Representatives to the States with more slave-owners.