States Fight to Keep Dem/Rep Rigging of Presidential Elections

The Supreme Court has decided to take up an issue that goes to the heart of the United States election process.  There have been conflicting rulings, one by a State Supreme Court and another by a Federal Court of Appeals as to whether the votes of presidential electors belong to the electors themselves or to the states.

In the case at hand, the states have tried to penalize the so-called "faithless electors" who voted their conscience in the 2016 election.  The appeals are coming from the electors in the State of Washington, who wish not to be penalized, and the State of Colorado, who lost its bid to penalize faithless electors. 

23 states have asked the Supreme Court to rule in favor of the states controlling the electoral vote.  What this means in reality is that the Republican and Democratic parties wish to keep control of the electoral vote.  Since all states but Nebraska and Maine use a system where people vote for a slate of electors that belong to the same party, there is little opportunity for someone outside of the party establishment to become an elector.  If you take away an elector's ability to vote in the way they choose, the power monopoly is assured.      

A Conscious Conservative believes that electors should be selected without regards to political party membership.  Electors should also vote for the candidate which they believe will best serve in the office.  No. 68 of the Federalist Papers states that selecting the president should require that "every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue or corruption."  Unfortunately for the United States, the Republican and Democratic parties have become the cabals about which the Founders warned and 23 states are now asking the Supreme Court to condone the corruption. 

Texas Voters Enact Income Tax Ban

On November 5th, Texas voters approved a constitutional ban on the personal income tax.  This comes at an important time, because other no tax states like Nevada and Alaska have recently had calls to initiate an income tax.  

The Texas initiative does not completely ban a future income tax.  However, it puts forth a procedure where a vote of 2/3 of both houses plus a majority vote of the people is required to enact a personal income tax.  74% of Texas voters approved the restriction on the income tax.

A Conscious Conservative believes that the rest of the United States should take the lead of Texas.  It is past time to repeal the 16th Amendment.  More about the proposition can be found here-- Texas Proposition 4--Ballotpedia

Woman Goes Up A Tree To Protest Eminent Domain

   

In Columbia, Missouri, a group of citizens got together to preserve a section of old growth forest.  Called It's Our Wild Nature, the organization purchased 37 acres of forest.  The City of Columbia decided that they could do a better job of protecting the forest.  They used eminent domain to take the forest from the non-profit.

How will Columbia protect the forest?  They are going to cut down the trees.  Only government could come to the conclusion that cutting down trees is the best way to preserve a forest.  The plan is to turn the nature preserve into a series of urban hiking and biking trails.

So one lone woman named Sutu Forte' is going up a tree in protest.  She is refusing to move until she goes to talk to the Columbia Mayor and gets a promise to delay construction.  The eminent domain case is still in court.  However, the city's right to take the property is not in dispute.  What is disputed is that the city does not wish to pay fair market value for the land.     

As of the time I write this, Forte' has been up the tree for four days.  She has been ordered by a court to come down before the end of today.  A Conscious Conservative hopes that others will take up her fight.