COUNTY HALL

documents, which are our Constitution and its Amendments. The Constitution provides the principal governmental framework, and the Amendments provide broader parameters of freedom and equality. It is as a republic that we are “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” It is this foundation that has helped us maintain the same government structure for two and a half centuries.

Do not take this for granted. Our country has had the longest-standing government of any other country in the world, dating back to 1789. Outside of Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the Vatican — every other country in the entire world has changed its government since 1900. This stability is what has brought prosperity and progress in every area of our society, from industry to education to human rights and the quality of life.

What our dear representatives in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., should recognize is that the parameters of their influence are not what people are asking for but what our republic allows. A classic example is the Electoral College for selecting our country’s president. This very unique process for determining our president was created by our Founding Fathers for a very good rea- son. Since this is the UNITED States of America, they wanted the person who would be representing the country to be the choice of the greater number of states and not just the population.

This forces presidential candidates to not simply focus on large cities to get a majority of votes but to get out to the less traveled areas that also have concerns that need to be heard. It is a tremendously innovative process that has served us well for two and a half centuries. Yet, we have seen in the past decade many howls of pain from those who win the majority vote without the electoral vote count. Their constant cry is that this is not fair because it is not democratic. And I agree that it is not democratic, but that is just the point — it was not meant to be — it is a basic tool of our Republic.

There are zillions of other illustrations, but the crux of the issue is the same. Governing by the flavor of the month is fickle, and even Time magazine ran an article several months ago with the title, “Are Polls Trash?” This ‘science’ reminds me of a Shakespeare quote. Opinion polls are “but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”