Capital lake's future.

I think that capital lake should be turned into an estuary because it costs less, and it returns it to the natural environment. Even though Capital lake gives us a lake with a nice reflecting pool, its extremely polluted and filled with invasive species, the estuary also is filled up completely 20% of the time, and the other 80% isnt that far from full. Turning the lake into an estuary also solves many of the lakes current problems through natural causes.

Electoral college

No, I dont think that the electoral college is valid
anymore because…

Our country has outgrown the need of a buffer between the people and
the selection of a President. It is an age of technology where we can instantly know
things from across the country or from around the world. We can discuss issues
with the other side of the world in real time without moving from our desks. It is
simplistic and easy for people in our country to not only consider what is best for
themselves, but what is good for the country.
Not only is it not needed anymore, but it is also flawed in that a president can
be chosen that does not have the popular vote or in other words, what the people
want. An example of this happening is in 2000, when George W. Bush won the
election in the house of representatives after neither Washington or Al Gore got the
majority of 270. The house of representatives was split to only a 5 seat difference
and the house of the senate was split into 50-50 democrat vs. republican.
If the electoral college system can let a candidate win that does not have the
popular vote then that means it does not reflect the intentions of the people. Also,
the electoral colleges distribution of the number of vote to a state is unfair to larger
states because smaller states have more states per person so it would be like saying
they are more important, because there is no reason that smaller states should get
more votes than larger states and this unfairness is the effect of including the senate
+ representatives for electoral votes since in the senate, the smaller states also get
more senators per person.
Some might argue that a direct election by the people will shut out smaller
states because smaller states have smaller population of people and so it wont be so
necessary for candidates to address the needs of them to win an election. But, if a
president really only wanted to win the election, then I don’t think this person
would be the best president. A president that desires to lead the U.S. will try to take
into consideration everyone’s needs in the U.S. and not just what more people want.
Although, they would address the needs of a more populated state first to make
more people happy, it doesn’t mean that the concerns of smaller states will be
ignored by presidents.
Now, I don’t think that just a direct vote for a president is the best way to
elect a president because this way, the country could definently be split into
something like 49.9% to 50.1% or something like that, and I don’t think that make
people support the elected president, and there would probably be a bunch of
recounts. I think there should be some sort of rule of majority like in the electoral
college system that has a need of 270 but we shouldn’t just give the descision of
electing a president that represents billions of people to the hands of 500 something
people. That’s haveing 1 person decide the vote of millions of people, which would
not reflect the wants of the people at all as the electoral college system has shown us.

Although a direct election by the people may not be the best alternative, I
dont think that the electoral college system reflects what the people want as well as
a direct election does. Therfore I stand by a direct election as a better option.

The music of the pearl

I think the last sentence in the pearl means that the pearl is gone the same way it appeared, out of no where, Kino suddenly got a huge fortune thinking it was for the better, but it turned against Kino and now the fortune has disappeared just as abruptly as it appeaered. I think the song of the pearl disappearing means that it is over, sort of like the moment the pearl was found, that is when the whole story changed, and the integration of the pearls music into the other songs Kino hears is clearly seen, the pearls song is something that cannot be held, it wants to be in the sea, like the song was a cry, that it had been removed from its threshold. The pearl itself to Kino and Juana is a hope, opportunity, but it also means danger, evil, greed, because the pearl makes everyone that is not the holder to house greed inside and greed makes them want it to the extent of murder or thievery. But Kino and Juana know the affects of the pearl and they do not want it, for themselves or others, because the pearl has even taken the life of their baby Coyotito, and so their future is is gone, their hope, their future of a life not in poverty. That is also what the pearl stands for to everyone else, the pearl stands for the gateway, the key, the path, out of their terrible lives.