DEAR EDITOR: Any interested observer of the ongoing presidential election imbroglio has seen and heard calls far and wide for the abolishment of the Electoral College system and its replacement with an democratic national system. We hear “the will of the people,” “one man, one vote,” “an antiquated system,” and so on. Is this true? Do we need a new system? We only need anew formula for electing the president if we want to replace our republican-federal form of government with a democratic type of government. The government of the United States of America is not now, nor has it ever been a democracy. Our U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1789, establisheda republic (a state under the law) in which power is shared between the sovereign states and the national government. Nowhere in the Constitutionis the word “democracy” even written. In fact, our nations founders knewthat democracy (the rule of man) would never work and would lead to tyranny, as it always has. The Greek states were the first to practicedemocracy, and this system was disastrous: The Greeks quickly lost their personal liberty and the Greek nation did not regain independence until the 1820s. Rome, on the other hand, was established as a republic. Even withall of its troubles, the Roman government lasted until 1453, and modern Western civilization was modeled on its foundation of a people under the rule of law. James Madison wrote: “…democracies have ever beenspectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they are violent in their deaths.”The Electoral College system is not democratic, nor was it designed to b so. Remember that the U.S.A. was created by the free will of 13independent states (nations). These states varied in size and population. Inorder to protect the smaller states from the overbearing control of the larger states, a compromise was struck. A two-house Congress wasestablished, giving all states equal representation in the Senate. TheHouse of Representatives is based on the population of the various States. Our presidential election system is set up the same way. Little states likeAlaska and Rhode Island get three electoral votes, even though by rights they shouldnt get any, according to their populations. In a purelydemocratic election, the little states like Louisiana would count for nothing and would be ignored. The will of the majority of Americans wouldprevail and rights of the minority would be submerged over time. Would-be tyrants always call for more democracy because they know that its a necessary stepping-stone to socialistic dictatorships. By its nature,democracy contains no checks on power, no division of power, no balance of power. With democracy, we get pure, unadulterated, unrestrainedpower; the law is no longer a roadblock to power. A lynch mob isdemocratic; the majority of the town wants it. Genocides are typicallydemocratic; the majority wants to kill them suckers. Lets keep our republic so that all people, strong or weak, big or small, white or black, male or female, born or unborn, young or old, well or sick, good or bad, enjoy equal protection under the law, not subjective protection under the fickle, violent will of Man. God save our republic! Godsave America! Ronald J. Theriot Jr. LaPlace