Why is our government frozen and unable to act on reasonable gun control supported by an overwhelming majority of the American People?

Morris Skip Bel

Experienced attorney, believer in American Democracy, supporter of Texas International Soccer.

Vida Brasil Texas, Newspaper 

Fonte foto –  Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre.

Morris Skip Belt – Opinion

This deadlock and inability to take needed action to inact reasonable gun contol laws and the accelerated trend to extremism among our elected officials is due to Gerrymandering by our State Legislatures controlled by a dominant political party and exclusively empowered to draw and redraw the boundaries of our election districts, both State and federal congressional districts to equalise the number of voters.

It is a strategy of dominant political parties to remain in power using any means available. They don’t just equalise the numbers of voters. They draw the election districts in a fashion to assure they include a majority of their Party’s traditional voters to create a majority of “safe districts” for their candidates within their State.

It is literally the dominant Political Party of the office holder that picks their voters instead of the voters picking the office holder. Both parties have used this strategy to retain and increase their power through Gerrymandering, but in recent decades the Republican Party has been the most aggressive in its use and abuse to retain power and magnify their control despite having fewer voters in many States statewide. The computer data on voter trends is now so refined and available to State Parties and their consultants to design their safe districts with 60% reliable Party voters and to draw a fewer number of districts safe for their opponents by “packing” their districts with 80% or more reliable opposition voters, a simple strategy of 2 safe distrcts for me and 1 safe districts for you.

Republican controlled State Legislatures guard their exclusive right to draw the election district maps to retain power. Some 16 State Legislatures have transfered the power to draw the election districts to non-partisan independent commissions to equalizes them for changes in population without consideration of Party affiliation to try to eliminate the abuse of Gerrymandering.  Many of these independent commissions were forced by public petition and referendum. Texas Republicans have blocked and made it unconstitutional to have such legislation mandated by the vote of the people. So, the Gerrymandering of Texas and in other Red States will continue so long as Republicans maintain their safe districts.

The only election that matters will remain the Republican Primary which trend more and more to political extremes. This will be true in all heavily Gerrymandered States and in Congress. It is truly an uphill fight to rectify this errosion of our Democracy and denial of the will of the People on this major issue of reasonable gun control and many other important matters that Republicans choose to block and even procedurally prevent debate in Congress.

Fonte foto –  Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre.

Even our Supreme Court knows extreme partisan Gerrymandering is wrong but the conservative majority decided they would not make a decision on the unconstitutionality of Gerrymandered election districts intentionly drawn for purely partisan advantage because it was too hard for them to set firm standards. They punted and said the Legislature and Congress would have to set the standards. Back to square one.