Kokomo — ‘Electoral College works just fine’

It is blatantly clear that Kokomo Tribune columnist Rob Burgess despises the Electoral College and believes it should be abolished in favor of direct majority popular vote to determine the outcome of a presidential election. I could not disagree more.

The framers of the Constitution knew what they were doing. The United States of America is a republic, not a democracy. In case Burgess does not understand it, “republic” means the representatives of the people determine the ultimate outcome of all sorts of civil matters, including the election for president.

The founders of this nation also created two houses of Congress. The House of Representatives does reflect the population numbers in each state. The Senate does not. It gives two senators from each state.

If Burgess does not like the way a president is elected, I suspect he is just as upset over the structure of the Senate.

Again, the writers of the Constitution knew what they were doing. I repeat, we are a republic, not a democracy. The Electoral College works just fine. Leave it alone.

Kent Blacklidge, Ph.D., Kokomo

Let’s believe in ‘we’ again, not just ‘me’

The future of this nation will be shaped by people who work together, not by division and hatred. I find it amazing that 400 people in Kokomo rally for the man who would have closed this city and others, just to cover his bets, AND who also believes, just as Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Pence, that women should not have any say over their own bodies.

In the Great Depression, I was told that people helped each other, that farmers gave food to those that did not have, that soup kitchens sprouted up everywhere, that many tent cities popped up in Southern cities to house the homeless.

Today, the “I have mine and to heck with you” people believe that if you are down, then that is just too bad. The greatest nation in the world cannot help its own, but can spend $2 billion on one election.

That is NOT the America I fought for. Let’s become WE again, not just ME.

J. Fred Pettijohn, Kokomo

Fight the plutocrats; vote for Democrats

A plutocracy is where the 1 percent tell us, “You don’t understand that we are in charge, and we know how to run this country.”

Yes, a lot of people don’t understand that the people who are rich beyond belief are intending to run this country to suit themselves – no regulations for Wall Street; privatize everything, including Social Security, Medicare, our schools, the Postal Service, roads, waterways, etc. Some have even suggested lowering the minimum wage.

These people want peasants for a work force. It’s almost overwhelming how the plutocrats have attacked us.

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Citizens United, which says corporations are people and money is speech, it’s like the justices opened up the floodgates to buy this election.

We who love this country can stop this by signing the petition at movetoamend.org for a constitutional amendment to change this. This is the people’s country. We all have rights under the law. We will not be pushed around by corporations. We will stand together to make this country strong again. We will not be bought by the rich.

Vote Nov. 6th for the Democratic candidates, and maybe we can start working our way back to a country of we, the people.

Clara Biddle, Greentown

Affordable Care Act is unaffordable

“But we have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it.” Ever since that remark from Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., we have been finding out what is in the American Healthcare Act (AHA). Thus far, the literature I have seen indicates that it contains reduced health care standards and less affordability.

On Oct. 15, Betsy McCaughey reported in Investor’s Business Daily, “On Oct. 1, the Obama administration started awarding bonus points to hospitals that spend the least on elderly patients. It will result in fewer knee replacements, hip replacements, angioplasty, bypass surgery and cataract operations ... On July 13, 2011, Richard Foster, chief actuary for Medicare, warned Congress that seniors will have difficulty finding doctors and hospitals to accept Medicare.” Is this what Rep. Pelosi meant when she declared that we will find out what is in the bill?

Jeff Graham, also writing for Investor’s Business Daily, details why the AHA is anything but affordable. Among the reasons cited, he writes, “For companies with 49 workers that do not offer its employees health coverage, the hiring of just one more worker would carry a penalty of $40,000.” How many more disincentives to hire does business need to be saddled with in this prolonged era of high unemployment?

If you are a senior, or have a family member who is a senior, or expect to be a senior yourself someday, you might want to give serious thought about whose buttons you plan to push when you step in front of that voting machine.

Charles A. Layne, Bunker Hill