Why have an "Open Enrollment Period?"

Lafayette · Apr 30, 2019

Slavister said:
It's odd for a couple of reasons. I already mentioned them. .

Bollocks and blah-blah-blah.

Moving right along ...

FinnFox · May 1, 2019

Lafayette said:
What I am saying is simple: If Canada can do it - that is, have National Healthcare - then why the hell not the US ... !

I'm wondering that too, because USA is the richest country in the world.

Lafayette · May 1, 2019

FinnFox said:
I'm wondering that too, because USA is the richest country in the world.

Americans' schooling in Civics is known to be wanting. Moreover, I suspect that most Americans have never even considered the notion that Gerrymandering and the Electoral Colleges were manipulations of the popular-vote undertaken by both parties within two-decades of the Revolutionary War's end (1776).

Personal Interpretation:

They have had very little introduction to political causes and their basic beliefs. For the most part, I suspect, they adopt the political-posturing of their parents because as kids they thought like their parents and never questioned it.

Consider the actual evidence: Any PotUS as effing incompetent as Trump - who actually LOST the popular-vote - should have lost it! But, as you can see with some responses on this thread, some people feel there is nothing INHERENTLY UNFAIR when your/my popular-vote for PotUS is NEGATED (extinguished) in an Electoral College (EC) that legally applies a winner-take-all rule and gives the entire amount of votes of each state to the winner. (NB: You must understand that the total amount of state EC-votes is determined based upon its population-size as estimated.)

When, in fact, they should have been reported to Congress by percentage of the popular-vote of each party in the state. And then both houses of Congress announce the winner.

Nowhere in the world, to my knowledge, other than the US, has any evolved nation said the above was appropriate. Which is why, in most other respects than this one, the rest of world building or rebuilding a post-war democracy never ever considered adopting such an ignominiously incorrect rule.

Gerrymandering elsewhere on this globe is sometimes employed but the circumstances of it are rare. And, as for an Electoral College (EC) to count the votes ... well, that is not employed anywhere amongst developed-nations.

See for yourself from this excerpt of the EC Wikipedia article (linked here):

"Colleges" of electors play a role in elections in other countries, albeit with electors allocated in ways differing from the United States. In Germany, the members of the federal parliament together with an equal number of people elected from the state parliaments constitute the Federal Convention, that exists for the only purpose of electing the (non-executive) head of state. Similarly, in India the members of the both houses of parliament together with weighted votes from the members of the state legislative assemblies constitute an electoral college that elects the head of state. In Italy, the (non-executive) head of state is elected by the members of both houses of Parliament in joint session, together with delegates elected by the Regional Councils to ensure the representation of minorities.

Other countries with electoral college systems include Burundi, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Myanmar, Pakistan, Trinidad and Tobago and Vanuatu. The Seanad Éireann (Senate) in Ireland is chosen by an electoral college. Within China, both Macau and Hong Kong each have an Election Committee which functions as an electoral college for selecting the Chief Executive and formerly (in the case of Hong Kong) for selecting some of the seats of the Legislative Council. In Guernsey, an electoral college called the States of Election chooses the island's jurats. Georgia will have the Electoral College to elect the President of Georgia beginning in 2024.

Click to expand...

Enough said ... ?