We need to decide what kind of democracy we want

As 250-year anniversary of our country nears it is time for us to decide what kind of democracy we want, especially since what we have is dividing us more than pulling us together.

What we have is a democracy that is weighed towards rural states. It used to favor democrats, now it favors republicans. Both the Senate and the electoral college give rural voters a much greater say in this republic, disenfranchising many voters. It isn’t one citizen one vote, Idaho votes have almost twice the impact of California’s which isn’t just and leads to political refugees.

Republicans, even with this advantage in our system, are pushing for what Viktor Orban calls an illiberal democracy which squashes individual rights by eroding checks and balances and creates a political elite of wealthy white men. Russia and Putin are the most obvious example of this pretend democracy.

Or we can become a real democracy, one citizen one vote. To do this we need to get rid of the electoral college. If a presidential candidate wins the popular vote they win the election. Getting rid of gerrymandering will let the voters pick the candidate not the candidate pick the voters. This is the only way to protect the individual from the state and the billionaires.

Let’s not just celebrate our country let us make it a real democracy.

MARY HALEY

Sandpoint