TrentEngland.com

Thanks to the Christian Science Monitor for running with my defense of the Electoral College system against the proposed “National Popular Vote” plan.

In the article, I point out that the Electoral College was one of the least controversial creations of the Constitutional Convention, and it probably works even better than the Founders believed possible. It certainly works differently than the Constitution’s Framers thought it would–the development of two strong political parties and the addition of 37 states made that all but inevitable.

The Electoral College filters presidential elections through state processes, creating both decentralized administration and a geographic distribution requirement to win. This unique system has  seen the United States of America through many significant transfers of executive power, the kind of transitions that have brought other nations to their knees.

For more, read the piece: Bypass the Electoral College? Careful what you wish for. Thanks also to Stateline for picking it up in their daily commentary roundup. You can also check out my detailed descriptions of National Popular Vote here, here, and here and my comparison of the Electoral College process to the way other nations select their executives.

I’m in the middle of a tour of Washington state teaching about our union of states, the constitutional structure called Federalism. Here’s an update, cross-posted from LibertyLive.org.

So far in our series of classes on the Constitution and Federalism, we’ve been to Tacoma, Mt. Vernon, Renton, Shoreline, Bellevue, Everett, and Port Orchard. This week takes us to Omak, Moses Lake, Spokane, and Pasco, and on Sunday afternoon to Yakima. Next week, we finish the series with stops in Sequim, Olympia, and Vancouver.

Federalism–the balance of power between our national and state governments–is an essential part of our constitutional structure. It keeps local issues local, where people have more say and governments can better respect local diversity. State and local governments, because they are smaller and closer to the people, have greater potential for accountability and transparency than Washington, D.C. Even the Ancient Greeks understood this, which is why they formed federations in the first place. To learn more, attend one of our upcoming programs. You can also become a Freedom Foundation member to read more about Federalism in the August issue of Living Liberty.

Today the Evergreen Freedom Foundation released the first in a new online video series, Talk Back on Economics, at GetFree.tv. The idea is to offer some basic free market ideas in an interesting and lively format.

You can subscribe to GetFree.tv on iTunes.

My son and I spoke at the Conservative Enthusiasts’ July 4th picnic on Mercer Island. Thanks to Mark Sussman for the invitation. (The video does clear up after going blurry; thanks to the videographer for posting to YouTube!)

A lot of people are upset about “the government.” And there’s a lot to be upset about, from the lack of personal ethics displayed by state legislators like Sen. Phil Rockefeller, sponsor of the “title only” tax bill (that is, it’s blank—they’ll write it later) that had its “public hearing” in today’s legislative session, to every member of any legislature (especially the U.S. Congress) who votes for spending with no intention of seeing that the bills get paid.

But the worst of it all, is how these people came to power. Not one of them marched into a capital as part of a conquering army. And though some were born or married into wealth and power, no one can actually get to Congress that way.

These rogues and scoundrels were nearly all elected … by the people. Most of our worst politicians were elected fair and square, put into power by the people even as they compete to see how quickly they can regulate, tax, and indebt us into oblivion.

This is our crisis and our opportunity. Too many voters are suckered by candidates promising a free lunch and other too-good-to-be-true government “bargains.” Yet every politician is vulnerable at election time.