We the People?

There is no ignoring it any longer. All across the United States, people are gearing up for the 2008 presidential elections. But what does this so-called "historic" election mean for our country? How do we, as the American people, get informed enough to make the right decision for the person who will lead this country through these trying times? But before we ask these questions, we must ask this one: Do our votes matter?
Allow me to just give you a little background on the subject, though I'm sure that you all know what I'm talking about, since the people who read my blog are the most beautiful and intelligent people on the planet. But I'll explain anyways. You see, the electoral college, our voting system, has an interesting way of counting votes. The number of electoral votes any given state has is determined by its population. So, states with big populations like California and New York have the most electoral votes, while states like Vermont and Wyoming, with small populations, have the least. This system is outlined in the Constitution. It was made by our founding fathers. So it must be great, right? Think again. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the founding fathers. I'm sure they were the best of the best in their time. But, that was their time. I'm sure they didn't have to deal with all stuff we do, that's why we have amendments, right? I think, in the instance of the electoral college, the founding fathers have a little something to learn. I hope that doesn't sound too unpatriotic.
The 2000 election, George W. Bush v. Albert Gore, was a real nail-biter. It all came down to Florida, whoever got those electoral votes would be the next president of the United States. The ballots were counted and recounted. In the end, Bush claimed the presidency. But did he win the popular vote? Studies would show that he didn't. The Electoral and Popular Vote Summary of the 2000 election shows that Bush won 50,456,002 votes overall. However, Gore won 50,999,897 votes. Okay, now read that again, and think about it this time. This means that Gore won the popular vote. This means that we, the people, picked Al Gore as our next president. But because of the electoral college, he didn't win. Even is 47% of the people in the voted for Gore, as they did in New Hampshire, all their electoral votes would go to Bush. See the problem?
So, we have a couple of things that should be changed about electoral politics. And with the next election rolling around I would put fixing the electoral college at the top of my list. Do our votes count? That's up to you to decide. I like to hope so.