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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>John Clark<br><br><o:p></o:p></p><div><div><p class=gmail-p1><o:p> </o:p></p><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><p class=MsoNormal><i>>> The armed forces of the USA are sworn to be loyal to the Constitution </i><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote><p class=gmail-p2><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>>…Trump also swore to be loyal to the Constitution, but a oath means nothing to a man like Trump…John K Clark</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=gmail-p2><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=gmail-p2><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=gmail-p2>Sure, but an oath to the constitution means a lot to the people who command the military. As soon as the next guy is sworn in, they take orders from him. They will take no orders from a former president pretending to be POTUS for life. You can be sure, if there was a way to declare oneself president for life, it would have been tried by now.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=gmail-p2>Regarding the Electoral College, it helps make state governments relevant. The way our republic is designed, states are to do the heavy lifting in government. This keeps them competing with each other, and reduces the relevance of what the federal government is doing. This helps prevent runaway corruption.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=gmail-p2>This is also particularly relevant in this age of American history, for it is easily foreseeable that the American federal government will soon be in default on many of its obligations. With Social Security obligations in particular, that day is probably within 20 years. When that (pretty much inevitable) time comes, state governments will be even more relevant.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=gmail-p2>The constitution is a marvelous device.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=gmail-p2>spike<o:p></o:p></p><p class=gmail-p1><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=gmail-p1><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=gmail-p1><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=gmail-p1><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></body></html>