November 2016

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501   histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

November 20, 2016

This is a letter to our friends –

The Popular Vote

Every four years we hear arguments against the Electoral College.  As directed by our Constitution, the Electoral College is composed of “electors” appointed by their respective states.  These electors vote for President and send the results to the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

Thus, when you cast your vote for President, you are really voting for your state’s electors that  favor your candidate.  It is possible for all the electors nation wide to favor one candidate while the “Popular Vote” of all the people who voted to favor another.

I believe this illustrates the wisdom of our founding fathers.

First: He is not the President of the people.  He is the President of the United States.  Every four years the 50 sovereign states get together and elect their President.  Were he elected by popular vote, a few population centers in the country would determine the winner and the citizens in smaller states would have no say in the results.

To understand what our founding fathers had in mind requires an understanding of some fundamentals.  Every human organization is governed by some mixture of three elements: rule of one; rule of a few; rule of many.

Rule of one is most efficient because one person has all the authority and power.  Rule of one is also the most dangerous to liberty should the ruler become corrupt.

Rule of a few is, or should be, wiser than rule of many, and more reliably honest than rule of one.

Rule of many is the most honest and well-meaning of the three, but is most easily deceived and lead astray.

Think of rule of many as “majority rule”.  The ultimate majority rule is a lynch mob – only one person objects!  Rule of many is called “democracy”.  It is nicknamed, “mobocracy”.

Our founding fathers chose “republic” as the basic form for our government.  A republic is composed of representatives from the various parts.  These representatives are elected by majority rule in the various parts.  They have opportunity to discuss issues and represent their constituents.

Think about it – The President represents rule of one.  His authority is checked by the legislature (rule of many).  And both the President and the legislature are limited by the Constitution in the hands of the Supreme Court (rule of a few).

Let us not modify a system that has protected liberty for so many.

These columns are archived since 12/10/09
See www.ACHStudyGroups.com
“Ben’s Blog”

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

November 17, 2016

This is a letter to our friends –

Thanksgiving

Warm greetings. Just before the election, my mail-merge function and a batch of other software stopped working with reliability. I have no idea whether any of these blog posts were posted since then. Several days, some prayer with lots of tweeking and talk with techies appears to have fixed things. For this I am most thankful.

Last December 2nd this column handicapped the candidates for President:

”Trump – As president, I believe he would be very good at getting things done. His following would stay with him with popular support for a time. This would make him a powerful leader. On the other hand – Nothing exists without a set of rules to govern it. Trump appears to me to lack a depth of understanding about the rules that will “make America great again”. I believe he would not respect private property, or the limits on the president by the legislature and courts. We would have exchanged a traitorous-tyrant for a patriotic-tyrant. A tyrant nonetheless. Tyranny is unstable.”

I am thankful that I appear to be right about his being a powerful patriotic leader. I am also thankful that I appear to have been wrong about his not respecting legislative and legal limits. He appears to be surrounding himself with well qualified mentors.

It has become somewhat of a tradition to have the Thanksgiving table set with 5 small grains of corn in honor of the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving feast. Another is to have someone read “Pilgrim Fathers” by the late Larry Wagner, during the Thanksgiving meal. I will Paste it at the end after a page-break so it will be on one page.

The entire Gilmore clan together with many friends and extended family will be together this Thanksgiving. Our best wishes go out to you and yours. We are truly thankful for our country.

Pilgrim Fathers

By the late Lawrence Wagner

“The second harvest gathered since they crossed Atlantic waters,

A feast of thankfulness was set by grateful Pilgrim Fathers:

So great the providence of God, so blest with fruit their labors,

So sweet the bond among their band, such peace with Indian neighbors.

“But most among the festive crowd could count harsh years of toil.

Of wand’ring for their faith in God, of want on alien soil.

Of flagging hopes and faith, bad health, of chills that hell could send,

Of half their number that had died before first winter’s end.

Of hunger pangs that second year in their New Plymouth home,

Of weeks when all they ate a day was five small grains of corn.

A few remembered treasure lost, of titles cast aside,

But all could measure conscience’ cost in tears and trampled pride.

Oh, at this feast could they foresee their blessed future years?

That nevermore would they know want, nor run from any fears!

Then after prayers of gratitude, before the feast was set,

Each plate was served five grains of corn, lest anyone forget!

A humble band in hardship born, rejected by their own,

A rock flung o’re the ocean, they were laid a cornerstone.

By them God stamped His pattern for a nation on the land,

And seeds of freedom under God were planted by their hand.

Oh, pray their heirs would ever know how dear was freedom’s cost,

And know to hold their faith and freedom dear, or see them lost,

And praise the Providence that brought those pilgrims to this shore,

And eat the grains of memory, or pay the price once more.

These columns are archived since 12/10/2009

See www.ACHStudyGroups.com

“Ben’s Blog”