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Merits and demerits of electoral college
Essay on the effectivness of the electoral college
Essay on the effectivness of the electoral college
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Electoral College
A major conflict concerning the electoral college lingers in America. The
Constitutional Convention created the college in 1789 in hopes that it would be an
adequate system (MacBride 29). The electoral college consists of senators and
representatives who cast their votes for the state they represent. Those who feel that the
college should remain as it is believe that the American people are too uninformed about
election issues to vote. The argument for the modification of the college maintains that the people are not actually electing the president, but the larger states are. Ultimately, the majority of the United States citizens support the elimination of an electoral college that serves no purpose in the government.
The argument in favor of the continuation of the electoral college holds that it
represents an effective institution. First, the format of the college demonstrates its validity.
The amount of electoral votes awarded to each state, extremely critical in elections,
remains decided by the number of senators and representatives in Congress (Polsby 45).
Many politicians find the existing system extremely efficient because they feel the electors
well represent their constituents (Best 52). In addition, the electoral college’s ability to
efficiently serve its purpose provides a reason for its long existence. “An electoral system
should produce a definite, accepted winner and avoid prolonged contests and disputes that
create uncertainty and public turmoil” (Best 210). Moreover, never in the history of the
electoral college has a controversy developed in which the college rejected “an individual
who had an undisputed majority of the popular vote” (Best 52). Most importantly, those
who agree with preserving the electoral college believe that election by popular vote, the
alternative to the college, would create numerous deficiencies in the system. Election by
direct popular vote would be “hazardous to the nation’s health,” said a concerned citizen
(Weisberger 24). Liable to deceptions of the truth and too uniformed of the candidates, the
people, voting directly, pose a threat to the system of electing presidents (Weisberger 24).
Many people feel that the “popular election of presidents would work a diminution of the
political power of racial and other minority groups in the nation’s urban centers” (B...
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...can make all of the difference” (Bickel 50).
Strangely enough, “the presidential nominees tend to come from big states and tend to run
on platforms likely to appeal to interest groups that cluster there” (Polsby 46). The
government’s deciding to continue to utilize the college is a drastic mistake. Ultimately,
the establishment of popular vote as a means for electing the president offers a new hope
for constituents in a political system which often leaves them disillusioned.
Bibliography:
1. Best, Judith. The case against Direct Election of the President. London: Cornell
University Press, 1975, 22, 52, 210.
2. Bickel, Alexander. Reform and Continuity. New York: Harper and Row Publishers,
1971, 5-6, 10-13, 50.
3. MacBride, Roger. The American Electoral College. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers,
Ltd., 1963, 19, 25-26, 29.
4. Polsby, Nelson. Presidential Elections. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1984,
45-46.
5. Polsby, Nelson. Presidential Elections: Contemporary Strategies of American Electoral
politics. New York: MacMillan, 1988, 32.
6. Weisberger, Bernard. “Electoral Headaches.” American Heritage. November 92: 22-
24.
By dismembering the Electoral College and replacing it with popular vote, some Americans believe this would eradicate any further issues on who is placed in office, while others want a system to do the dirty work and select their future leader. But by eliminating the very system created to keep the states at peace, the Electoral College has, in fact, caused turmoil and confusion among the people in regards to American politics; many people have a sense of displacement and lack of care for politics due to the mindset that someone else is in charge and their voice does not matter. Allowing the American people to cast their choice for who takes care of their future and eliminating the middle man ideals of the Electoral College, government can give back to its people in ways they might not have thought about before. They give the people a voice, choice, and a sense of personal expression and
Essay with Outline Loyalty, courage, honor, purity, and courtesy are all attributes of a knight that displays chivalry. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is truly a story of the test of these attributes. In order to have a true test of these attributes, there must first be a knight worthy of being tested, meaning that the knight must possess chivalric attributes to begin with. Sir Gawain is self admittedly not the best knight around. He says "I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest; / and the loss of my life [will] be least of any" (Sir Gawain, l. 354-355). To continue on testing a knight that does not seem worthy certainly will not result in much of a story, or in establishing a theme. Through the use of symbols, the author of Sir Gawain is able to show that Gawain possesses the necessary attributes to make him worthy of being tested. He also uses symbols throughout the tests of each individual attribute, and in revealing where Gawain’s fault lies. The effective use of these symbols enables the author to integrate the test of each individual attribute into a central theme, or rather one overall test, the test of chivalry.
Due to the discrepancy between the winner of the popular vote and the winner of the electoral college in the most recent election, there has been a lot of talk about eliminating the electoral college and moving to a direct popular vote. While many people argue for this shift, usually with little knowledge of what a popular vote election would look like, there are also many citizens who are opposed to the idea. In our polarized political climate, this fact is not surprising. Those who support the electoral college defend it by claiming that it is not only constitutional, but it also represents the whole county, and makes for a more certain, legitimate election process.
Some people believe the Electoral College system weakens the fundamental principle of a representative government- that one person should have one vote. If we switch to a popular vote, people will have a greater amount of saying than before. The candidates will have a better chance to get
Through jest of a game the Green knight enlightens Gawain the short sights of chivalry. He comes to realize within himself that the system which bore him values appearance over truth. Ultimately he understands that chivalry provides a valuable set of ideals toward which to strive, but a person must retain consciousness of his or her own mortality and weakness in order to live deeply. While it is chivalrous notions, which kept him, alive throughout the test of the Green Knight, only through acute awareness of the physical world surrounding him was he able to develop himself and understand the Knights message. From the onset of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the author relies intensely upon descriptive language to create ambiance and tonality, but it is only later in the work, upon Sir Gawain’s development, that like Gawain, the reader is able to derive meaning from the descriptive physicality and understand the symbiotic relationship of nature and society.
When political anarchy, social injustices, and crime end up leading to civil depravities that go against the foundation of democracy, society depends on the police to come in and keep the peace, while attempting to restore the order. These officers are asked to pursue criminals in vehicles, and on foot, repeatedly expose themselves to the dangers of the crimes, and remain calm while being under pressure at all moments on the job, and even off duty. Being an officer of the law takes a special person
In conclusion, the Electoral College should be abolished because small states are unrepresented, there are many flaws in the system, and it is not accurate based on people 's votes. Overall there seems to be no need for it, it was made for the reason that back then they thought it was a simple way of choosing a president, but really it just causes problems and does not represent the candidates or voters fairly. If America is truly about equality and democracy, then they will abolish the Electoral College and let the people have a
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume A. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2006. 162-213.
Shugart, Matthew. "Elections: The American Process of Selecting a President: A Comparative Perspective." Presidential Studies, 34, 3 (September 2004): 632-656.
If the Electoral College stays, then the people will not be able to choose the right person for the right job. So this shows how it can cause so many people to be frustrated with the Electoral College, which does not really help the country at all, in terms of the choosing a new President.
In the tumultuous years of King Henry VIII’s reign, several controversies arose about his relationship with Anne Boleyn, his mistress and later Queen of England. Indeed, many rumors were whispered about Anne Boleyn’s manipulation of the King, which speculated that it was the cause of King Henry VIII’s separation from the Roman Catholic Church. It was also pointed to as the cause of the Act of Supremacy being catapulted, an act which effectively proclaimed Henry VIII’s as the head of the Church of England. Protestantism during that time was regarded as a church for heretics and because of that people perceived Anne Boleyn as an avid supporter (Pettegree). Many critics insisted that lust had driven the King to create the new church. However, historical evidence does not support these claims. Anne Boleyn, though described as calculating, captivating, vindictive, and assertive, was an insignificant influence on King Henry VIII, compared to his lust for power over the church, politics, and his incessant, unrelenting desire for a male heir.
Overcrowding of prisons due to mass incarceration is among one of the biggest problems in America, mass incarceration has ruined many families and lives over the years.America has the highest prison population rate , over the past forty years from 1984 until 2014 that number has grown by four hundred percent .America has four percent of the world population ,but twenty-five percent of the world population of incarcerated people Forty one percent of American juveniles have been or going to be arrested before the age of 23. America has been experimenting with incarceration as a way of showing that they are tough on crime but it actually it just show that they are tough on criminals. imprisonment was put in place to punish, criminals, protect society and rehabilitate criminals for their return into the society .
“Achievement of Desire”, an essay written by Richard Rodriguez, which describes the struggle a boy, has to go through to balance the life of academics and the life of a middle class family. As a son Rodriguez sees the illiteracy off his parents, and is embarrassed of it, and as a student Rodriguez sees the person that he wants to be, a teacher, a person of authority and person of knowledge. Rodriguez tells his personal story of education, family, culture and the way he is torn in-between it all. In this essay, Rodriguez uses the term of a of a “Scholarship boy” meaning a “good student” and “troubled son”, he believes that being a scholarship boy makes him feel separation and isolation as he goes further in his education and Rodriguez insist that the feelings of separation and isolation are universal feeling.
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain shows qualities of a chivalrous knight. He demonstrates that by showing generosity, courtesy, and loyalty during his travels. A mysterious knight shows up at the king’s castle and calls himself the Green Knight. The Green Knight then challenges one to play a game which he challenges the king to strike him with his axe if he will take a return hit in a year and a day. Sir Gawain steps forward to accept the challenge for his uncle King Arthur when nobody else in the castle would. He took the King’s role in the game to protect him from the Green Knight. He must learn to accept his responsibility as a knight, in accepting his fate.He demonstrates goodness at the hand of the Green Knight. He shows courage by accepting what is to come upon him during his voyage. His journey to find the Green Knight is filled with temptations.In the conversation with him and the “Lady”, Sir Gawain showed a Chivalrous code by keeping his loyalty to the king by not kissing his wife. The lady states “if I should exchange at my cho...
Henry VIII married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon, in a political marriage (much like most weddings of the time). When Catherine of Aragon had stillborn children as well as early infancy deaths to all of their children, except Mary, Henry VIII began to worry that he would not have a son to heir the thrown. He began to petition the court for an annulment, so that we could marry his mistress Ann of Boleyn. At first Catherine, was kept in the dark of Henry's plans, he was using the text of Leviticus to justify his annulment. In the book of Leviticus, it states that if a man takes his brother's wife they shall remain childless. Even though they had a healthy daughter, Mary, this did not count in Henry's eyes, it was the male heir to the thrown that he wanted. Catherine was adamant in her claims that she had not consummated her marriage with Author, Henry's brother. The political and legal debate continued for six years, Catherine not only wanted to retain her position, but also her daughter's position in the kingdom.