tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post7966703998382588944..comments2024-03-14T13:25:20.613-05:00Comments on Boston 1775: “I have myself a large share of malicious Slander” Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-35514505962459004222013-02-22T14:10:29.105-05:002013-02-22T14:10:29.105-05:00Yeah, it does seem odd. But I suppose big metal lo...Yeah, it does seem odd. But I suppose big metal locks were (a) precision instruments, and (b) highly visible to visitors, so they might have been prestige items.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-1537050596657743182013-02-21T14:13:10.419-05:002013-02-21T14:13:10.419-05:00He took locks off of the doors at the Milton House...He took locks off of the doors at the Milton House? What an odd thing to walk off with, though I guess I'm not taking into account the price of locks back then.Daudnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-43260304492364431832013-02-17T00:08:32.006-05:002013-02-17T00:08:32.006-05:00I think Elbridge Gerry gets an unfair rap in the w...I think Elbridge Gerry gets an unfair rap in the word “gerrymander,” which was just as much of a political attack by the Federalists as the Democratic-Republican-drawn electoral map of Massachusetts. <br /><br />For one thing, other state legislatures had already used the same tactics and, as you point out, continue to do so today. For another, Gerry doesn’t seem to have been particularly involved in drawing the Massachusetts district borders; he just signed the bill. The fact that "gerrymander" stuck may reflect the staying power of the Federalist press in New England more than his particular actions.<br /><br />Furthermore, achieving fair representation is hard. If all our districts are competitive, that means nearly 50% of each district's voters don’t have their views represented in Congress for two years. On the other hand, if districts are drawn so that each has a strong majority from one party or interest—say, 80%—that means only 20% of people don’t have their views represented. Of course, the same 20% is excluded for a long time. But there might be better ways to ensure true representation in a legislature than the geographic system we've inherited. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-32079159852816705092013-02-16T10:44:30.410-05:002013-02-16T10:44:30.410-05:00And, of course, to add to your list of Elbridge...And, of course, to add to your list of Elbridge's political achievements, Gerry (pronounced 'Gary') has the distinction of his name being enshrined in one of the most destructive electoral banes of our time—Gerrymandering: the process through which politicians select their voters, so-to-speak, instead of voters selecting their politicians.<br /> <br />As Governor of Massachusetts, in 1812, Gerry signed a bill redistricting voting districts into incumbent-serving, convoluted shapes, establishing a practice which has enthroned the primacy of partisan control and further pushed our representatives to political extremes, due to their greater fear of being ‘primaried’ than facing a candidate from the opposite party in a general election.<br /> <br />Because of Gerrymandering voters are corralled and congested into safe Red or Blue districts; this is why in the recent election the GOP maintained a 33-seat majority in the U.S. House even though Democrats received millions more votes for their U.S. Representatives than Republicans. The word <i>political-Bantustan</i> comes to mind. <br /><br />Maybe Elbridge deserved a little slander for the Gerrymander after all.Byron DeLearnoreply@blogger.com