Page 6
November 30, 2016
Your Carpet
Best Cleaning
Choice
O PINION
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$45.00
A small distance/travel
charge may be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services) : $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00 Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) :
$40.00 Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $109 - $139
Chair or Recliner:
$25 - $49
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services) : $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Area & Oriental Rug
Cleaning
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949
Looking to Make Democracy More Democratic
Eliminating
the Electoral
College
m arC h. m orial
When the United
States of America was
born, emphasis was
far greater on “States”
than “United.” Cit-
izens of the new-
ly-formed nation identified first
and foremost as “Pennsylvanians”
or “Georgians,” for example, and
as “Americans” only as a distant
second. Our method for selecting
a chief executive originally was
devised to serve interests of each
state, rather than each citizen.
The idea that all citizens of the
nation should have an equal say
in electing the highest office in
the land was far from the minds
of the framers of the Constitution
in 1787. The Constitution did not
specify who could vote; that was
left to the states and most granted
suffrage only to white male adult
property owners. Delegates to the
Constitutional Convention consid-
ered election of the President by
Congress, election by state gover-
nors, election by state legislatures
and direct election by voters.
Direct election was considered,
though not seriously, and twice re-
jected. It can be argued that the
by
framers of the Constitution were
far more concerned about electing
a qualified President than a popu-
lar one. The Committee of Eleven
on Postponed Matters came up
with the Electoral College as
a compromise.
Today’s Electoral College
would be as baffling and un-
foreseen to the Framers of
the Constitution as Twitter or
the Mars Exploration Rover.
Over the next two cen-
Today, one Wyoming voter has
roughly the same vote power as
four New York voters. Minnesota
has 22,000 more people than Col-
orado and one more electoral vote,
while Wisconsin has 33,000 more
people than Minnesota and the
same number of electoral votes.
According to a study conducted
during the 2012 Presidential elec-
tion, the candidates conducted
two-thirds of their public events
in September and October in just
The National Popular Vote
Interstate Compact would
guarantee the Presidency to the
candidate who receives the most
popular votes in all 50 states and
the District of Columbia.
turies, the United States grew to
cherish democracy as an Amer-
ican ideal. As the right to vote
was expanded and the principle
of “one person one vote” over-
took the nation, the justification
for the Electoral College dimin-
ished. Five times the winner of
the popular vote has been denied
the Presidency because of the
Electoral College – twice in the
last 16 years.
three states - Ohio, Florida, and
Virginia. At the same time, the
candidates failed to hold a single
public event in 40 states. Overall,
campaign events and advertising
took place in only 12 states.
As a nation that cherishes the
“one person one vote” ideal, we
should find these facts offensive.
Abolishing the Electoral Col-
lege would require the consent of
the legislatures of the very states
that benefit from this imbalance in
power. In the current political cli-
mate, chances are almost nil.
However, the Constitution does
not specify how each state must
apportion its electoral votes. If
states agreed to award their votes
to the winner of the national pop-
ular vote, the anti-democratic in-
fluence of the Electoral College
would be eliminated.
The National Popular Vote
Interstate Compact would guar-
antee the Presidency to the can-
didate who receives the most
popular votes in all 50 states and
the District of Columbia. It has
been enacted into law in 10 states
and the District of Columbia, rep-
resenting 165 electoral votes. It
will take effect when enacted by
states with 105 more electoral
votes.
Public opinion surveys con-
sistently find solid majorities in
favor of eliminating the Electoral
College. Even our current Presi-
dent-Elect, the most recent benefi-
ciary of its anti-democratic effect,
has called it “a disaster for a de-
mocracy.”
While the road to actual elim-
ination appears long and fraught,
eliminating its anti-democratic
influence appears to be within our
grasp.
Marc H. Morial is president
and chief executive officer of the
National Urban League.