Ray Buursma: Reflections on the elections
Stop the steal? It’s been stopped!
Michiganders finally stopped the steal — after 40 years.
For four decades, Michiganders watched Republicans construct voting districts which built Republican majorities in the state House and Senate. Once the legislative majority was secured, they passed their agendas. Minority Democrats could do little but watch.
Every 10 years, Republicans re-examined those districts and adjusted them when necessary. Their grip on power continued.
Simply put, Republicans gerrymandered districts to control the state legislature. They had constitutional authority to do so, so it wasn’t cheating. On the other hand, it was gaming the system which is far from ethical. A person of integrity might have tried to improve the system, but no one did, and I doubt many lawmakers suffered a bruised conscience.
(Lest you think this is a slight only upon Republicans, many Democrats do likewise in states they control. Power corrupts, regardless of political affiliation.)
But things have changed, and we see firsthand the effects after a Constitutional Amendment was passed by Michigan voters several years ago. The amendment transferred power to draw districts to a commission of 13 volunteer citizens. Finally, the playing field is level. Finally, no one can stack the deck. Finally, Michiganders have stopped the steal. And look at the results.
A tip of the hat to Voters Not Politicians who ended the chicanery of four decades, and a wag of the finger to the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and other groups who opposed the initiative. In a republic, legislators make laws for the people. But legislators must be chosen fairly. They weren’t. Now they are.
A West Michigan oops!
Remember Peter Meijer? Congressman from the Grand Rapids area? One of the few Republican congressmen who had the courage to vote for impeachment of Donald Trump after the attempted insurrection?
Remember how Trump targeted Meijer during the primaries? Remember how Meijer was ousted 50%-48% by Trump’s endorsee? Remember how Trump relished in Meijer’s defeat?
Did you notice Gibbs, the candidate who ousted Meijer, was in turn ousted by his opponent, Hillary Scholten who two years ago was defeated by Meijer?
Do you think Trump cares more that a Democrat was elected in that district or that he achieved vengeance against Pete Meijer? I’m pretty sure I know.
Oh, Jamestown!
Fifty five percent of voters near Jamestown decided to defund the local Patmos Library. They disliked the idea of the library carrying a few materials related to LGBTQ issues.
Okay, so now what?
If the library closes, they’ll have to travel to other libraries, maybe in Holland or Grand Rapids, for books. Do these voters believe such libraries do not carry a few materials with LGBTQ content? Will the nay sayers avoid such libraries? What libraries, then, will they visit?
Maybe they’ll just buy all their kids’ books. But if they use online bookstores or brick and mortar shops, odds are most sellers will also carry LGBTQ books. That means parents will have to monitor their children’s selections, which is where they started.
Why could the parents of Jamestown not monitor their kids’ selections from the Patmos Library in the first place? There is little if any difference.
While we’re at it, let’s consider a book full of stories containing murder, drunkenness, incest, genocide, sexual innuendo, infidelity, polygamy, cruelty, war, torture, and the like. I’m pretty sure Jamestown Library carries that book — The Bible.
Read for yourself Genesis 4:8, Genesis 9:21, Genesis 19:36, Genesis 38:15, Deuteronomy 7:2, Judges 1:7, Song of Songs 4:5, and many, many more.
Readers, don’t get self righteous on me. Don’t preach to me about sin, man’s fallen state, grace, redemption, etc. I know them, I understand them, but that’s not the point. The point is everything must be taken in context, and almost every piece of writing has merits.
Would any Jamestown Nay-voters want The Bible removed from the library? I doubt it. They would cry in righteous indignation, claim discrimination, and argue individuals should decide whether or not to read the Holy Book. But they must be consistent for materials whose content they dislike.
You can’t demand a freedom while denying that freedom to others.
Georgia on my mind
Georgia, again you’re making America await your runoff results. You could have saved all of us time and yourself a bunch of money if you had used rank choice voting.
The system is simple. Each voter lists his first choice, second choice, third choice, etc., for an office. If no candidate reaches the 50% threshold, voters’ second choices kick in, or third if necessary. When, after a round, a candidate reaches 50%, she is declared the winner and no further runoff is needed.
Simple, quick, effective and inexpensive.
— Community Columnist Ray Buursma is a resident of Holland. Contact him at writetoraybuursma@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ray Buursma: Reflections on the elections
