Quote Originally Posted by BadShot View Post
Out of curiosity.. why? I believe in this day and age the need for an electoral college is a wee bit out-moded given the rational for it's inception in the first place.

On the second point, I was heavily influenced by the Heinlein school of thought.. service for citizenship. That has stuck with me since my first reading of Starship Troopers.

I'm just curious to hear your thoughts.

PogoManiac7 hit on it a little.

The estimated population of Montana is 967,440. Iowa, 3,002,555. Wyoming 532,668. Colorado 4,939,456.

Total 9,442,119.

Population of New York Metropolitan area: 18,815,988.
Population of Greater Los Angeles area: 17,775,98.
Population of San Francisco bay area: 7,354,555.

Abolishing the electoral college would put the presidency to a direct popular vote, and the large liberal cities would be able to dictate what happens everywhere else.

Without the electoral college algore would have been president. How you think he would have handled 9/11?

As for mandatory service, the less the government bosses us around the better. The draft was a major problem during the vietnam war. Our all volunteer force has a more esprit de corps, and kicks the shit out of all they meet on the field of battle. I don't think any of our guys out playing in the sand would want punkass draftees around. In a Heinleinian setting it would work great. Not so much in the real world.