Electoral College — Keep It

On March 4, 2019, an article was published about the effort in the Nevada State Assembly to join a compact with other states to, in essence, remove the role of the electoral college in electing the President of the United States.

In response to this article, I sent the following letter, with small modifications, to my elected representatives: Govoner Steve Sisolak, Assembly person Sandra Jaurequi, and Senator Keith Pickard. Enjoy,

Dear Representative:

I’m writing to you to express my view of Assembly Bill 186 that would implement “The Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote.” I am a constituent in your district.

This bill came to my attention based on an article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal by Colton Lochhead, which was published on March 4th and my reading of the bill from the NELIS website (https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/80th2019/Bill/6289/Text). I believe this agreement is a horrible idea for our nation. And, I encourage you to use your position and energy to defeat this bill.

I based my belief in the weaknesses of human behavior and decision making for the society, and a crucial element for democracy to continue successfully. The relevant weaknesses is human overconfidence. The crucial element for democracy’s success is the power of the minority voices to be heard.

As a society, we have many areas where we implement rules that mitigate over confidence in our fellow citizens. A prime example is requiring a jury to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt by a 12-0 vote, not a majority opinion. Majority rule, in its worse actualization, is mob rule. And, in judging the guilt of a fellow citizen, and electing a president to lead us all, the society should demand a higher standard than simple majority vote—especially a majority vote by people who are not Nevada citizens. I cannot think of a better way to drown out the voice of Nevada citizens that to defer its votes to a majority of votes who are outside the Nevada jurisdiction.

If you’d prefer a change to the current allocation of Nevada’s Presidential Electors, then allocate electors in the manner that the US constitution allocates Nevada electors. Two electoral votes based on the state-wide vote totals, like our US Senators, and four electoral votes, each based on the congressional districts currently applied in the state. In this manner, the voices of Nevada voters are heard in their complete diversity, which is a necessary component to keeping the faith of the citizens and encouraging democracy participation—A most important goal.

Thank you

Aaron D. Jackson

Political Principles a Discovery Journey

September 2018 was quite the month—its political related events stimulated discussions and thoughts at a deeper than normal level. For one of my young mentees, the Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination process brought out the good and bad side of many people, so we had discussions, many discussions. The Atlantic Magazine’s June 2018 cover story, Read more

Eating Habits

A brilliance struck me. Unexpectedly! I research food and beverage trends as part of my job, therefore to find and read Ian Spreadbury’s “Comparison with ancestral diets suggests dense acellular carbohydrates promote an inflammatory microbiota, and may be the primary dietary cause of leptin resistance and obesity” was normal. As I finished the article, I sat back in my chair and exhaled. I smiled. Read more

Reaction to Trump’s Immigration Speech

Whew!  The 2016 USA presidential campaign has been exhausting to think about, to discuss, and goodness knows to imagine that Trump wins.   And he can win.   Why he can or cannot win has been the subject of many news program discussions, and most that I have seen just miss the point.  No, better said, most are in denial about what a large segment of the American population is willing to believe, say, and vote for.  When I hear the denial, it usually manifest itself as a question, “Who believes such a thing?”

It is clear to me that about 35-40% of the American public believes in Trump’s principle—I am better off surrounded by people like me.  Read more

This article got me thinking

NY Times Article:  272 Slaves Were Sold to Save Georgetown.  What Does it Owe Their Descendants?

My first thought, is that the capital accrued into families, companies, or universities will all have some stain. Stain in the sense that when we use today’s standards and life experiences to judge behaviors in the past, we are bound to condemn many actions and decisions. And, once stained where do you stop labeling the influence. Read more

Baltimore mom smacked some sense into her son — and the rest of us too

 The post below was well written and thought provoking.  I’m glad Mary McNamara wrote it.
My emotion when seeing this video:
Child Abuse–not!

Read more

What to Make of the Behavior We See Today

Well, Zizzy said it simply, “We are animals, really. Why would we expect humans not to fight—that’s what animals do, they fight.”

Recent results from western civilization’s policy actions leave me discouraged. The attempts at spreading democracy are failing. Attempts at fairly allocating scarce resources leave little hope. Assessments of climate change dynamics simultaneously generate greater concern, increased skepticism and I fear, less empathy. With this backdrop Read more

Stop Looking for Passion at Work

The title is filled with irony.  The author of the linked blog post nails the discussion.

#1) Life is more than work and measurable accomplishments

#2) Time and energy are limited resources–how you spend them says a lot about who you are as a person.

#3) Passion renews you energy.  If you are lucky enough to have work (providing for your household) combined with your passion, hurray for you.  If you do not have work and passion interconnected, like most people, enjoy your life and the trade offs that make you happy.   It’s only the people with no passion we should feel sorry for.  Arguing which passion is better, well that is just idiotic.

http://www.strategy-business.com/blog/Stop-Looking-for-Passion-at-Work?gko=2b679

 

 

 

Listening Well and the Cause of Happiness—What my God Children Taught me

My godchildren inspire me. They ask questions, alter my perspective and in exchange I get a youthful perspective. Some parents, surly know the feeling. The godchildren that inspired this writing are 14 and 15 years old. Their persistence forced me to think—to improve my grasp of “Listening Well” and “Causing Happiness.”

Listening Well

During the Thanksgiving holiday, amidst my godchildren’s question barrage, I was asked, “What would you do if you found one million dollars?”

My reply, “I’d try to give it back to who ever lost it.”

“No, I mean what if no one was around. You just found it,” replied my godson.

Confidently, I replied, “Well, no one loses a million dollars, and doesn’t look for the money. So, I’d help them find it.”

My goddaughter, better explaining her brother’s question, jumped in, “No! No, he means, noooooobody is looking for the money. You find a million dollars. What do you do with it?” Read more

L.A. church leaders sought to hide sex abuse cases from authorities – latimes.com

Disgusting! Church leaders sought to protect their institution and pray for their parishioners. These people refused to hold others accountable for their actions, and worse, alerted no others.

The comments about “that’s not the way it was handled” are vile. I’ll burn this as a permanent reference of how not to treat people.

Not a way I wanted to start my morning.

L.A. church leaders sought to hide sex abuse cases from authorities – latimes.com.

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