It's been a turbulent year, to say the least.
But next week, we put aside all the things that divide us as a nation and come together with family and friends-those who are still speaking, that is-to give thanks for the good things in our lives and our country. It will be a welcome change.
Our question this week is what are you most thankful for? What makes your life better and what makes our nation great?
Send your response (50 words maximum) to [email protected] by Wednesday, Nov. 23. You can also mail your response to the Texarkana Gazette Friday Poll, at P.O. Box 621, Texarkana, TX 75504. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We will print as many responses as we can in next Friday's paper.
Last Week: Electoral College
Last week's question was about the Electoral College system for electing the nation's president. Should the U.S. retain the Electoral College? Or should the popular vote determine who wins the presidency?
The purpose of the Electoral College is as valid today as it was when the framers wrote it into the law. Cities like Texarkana and Tyler cannot compete with cities such as New York with 9 million people, Chicago with 3 million and Los Angeles with 4 million. Many of those people are non-citizens with opportunities for voter fraud. The Electoral College levels out the vote count to the advantage of the entire nation.-J.C., Texarkana, Texas
According to the latest count on Wikipedia, Trump narrowly has more popular votes than Clinton. Yes, keep the Electoral College. Or only the big cities will elect presidents. Rural people's votes would never count.-H.J., Atlanta Texas
I prefer keeping the Electoral College. This is the way our Founding Fathers set it up. We are a republic, not a democracy.-K.J., Texarkana, Ark.
The popular vote should determine who wins the presidency and the Electoral Collage needs to be eliminated. I wonder what would have happened if Clinton had won the electoral vote and Trump had won the popular vote. I believe we would have heard cries of "rigged system" to the high heaven and seen years of lawsuits by Trump.-B.B.H., Washington, Ark.
If you look at the county-by-county voting results, you'll see only a small number of densely populated counties voted for Clinton. All the rest of the map is red. Without the Electoral College, those few blue counties would have decided the election. All other votes would've been wasted.-M.B., Texarkana, Texas
Abolish it. Elections have become too focused on a few battleground states. One of the basic tenets of our democracy is majority rule. The presidential elections of 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016 are notable exceptions. It's ironic that conservatives were clamoring for an end to the Electoral College, but when Hillary won the popular vote by almost half a million votes in the recent election, it's now their friend.-B.R., Ashdown, Ark.
I truly believe that our popular vote alone should determine who wins the White House. I've always believed in our ability to vote and choose our best qualified candidates. I'm 77 years old and I will say that this has been the worse outcome in an election I've ever seen.-P.B., Texarkana, Texas
No candidate received 50 percent of the popular vote. Without an electoral college, how would we have decided the winner? Require all states recount, allow remaining candidates to choose, let Congress decide, have a runoff election? Our founding fathers designed this system for a vast and diverse nation. It still fits, America!-M.C., New Boston, Texas
Certainly retain the Electoral College! Otherwise New York and California would always decide the outcome of the elections as they have the majority of the votes. Study your civics.-B.B. Texarkana, Texas
Ever hear of the United People of America? Not the name of this country. The Electoral College interlocks the majority consensus of many states, preventing countrywide domination by the big ones. It limits vote-count fraud's effects to their state of origin. It quickly settles presidential elections without extended, untrusted recounts.-B.N., New Boston, Texas
From www.facebook.com/texarkanagazette
- People who don't want the Electoral College in place, either don't understand how it works, or are exactly what it protects us from.
- Popular vote. Why let one group of voters make the decision for all?