dadaLab
Stop the Gerrymandering!
RECEIVED Sat., June 4, 2011
Dear Editor,
Republicans have reached a new low in their efforts to eliminate their opposition. The blatant gerrymandering/malapportionment strategies they have utilized in recent years have grown to a crecscendo in Travis County.
Now they would have Travis County sliced into five parcels so that it would be even more of a crazy quilt of congressional districts. All this to try to unseat longtime Congressman Lloyd Doggett.
"One man, one vote" has become a sad joke. Minorities, progressives, liberals, and even centrists have been marginalized.
How and why did we come to this? It's destructive to the democratic process which we all cherish. It turns people against each other. It kills messengers and messages. It's the petty, corrupt politics of third world countries.
Is the American Civil War not over? It seems that is the case at times. Would Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, or Theodore Roosevelt be proud of the Republican party as they practice this dirty business?
The founding fathers of this country fought and sacrificed to establish fair representation for the people and balance the powers of governance so that no majority in power could gain such leverage over the opposition that they could destroy it.
Such is the intended outcome in the present case – unless we change course. Are we about open debate and fairness or destroying the opposition and silencing debate?
The unique American political system has proven lasting and workable. Why should we be so determined to remove justice, fairness, and debate from our system, which is envied the world over?
We need to stop the nonsense and get back to basic decency and fairness – now!
Republicans have reached a new low in their efforts to eliminate their opposition. The blatant gerrymandering/malapportionment strategies they have utilized in recent years have grown to a crecscendo in Travis County.
Now they would have Travis County sliced into five parcels so that it would be even more of a crazy quilt of congressional districts. All this to try to unseat longtime Congressman Lloyd Doggett.
"One man, one vote" has become a sad joke. Minorities, progressives, liberals, and even centrists have been marginalized.
How and why did we come to this? It's destructive to the democratic process which we all cherish. It turns people against each other. It kills messengers and messages. It's the petty, corrupt politics of third world countries.
Is the American Civil War not over? It seems that is the case at times. Would Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, or Theodore Roosevelt be proud of the Republican party as they practice this dirty business?
The founding fathers of this country fought and sacrificed to establish fair representation for the people and balance the powers of governance so that no majority in power could gain such leverage over the opposition that they could destroy it.
Such is the intended outcome in the present case – unless we change course. Are we about open debate and fairness or destroying the opposition and silencing debate?
The unique American political system has proven lasting and workable. Why should we be so determined to remove justice, fairness, and debate from our system, which is envied the world over?
We need to stop the nonsense and get back to basic decency and fairness – now!
Edward Sledge
