A Necessary College?

The Electoral College votes per state

With the 2016 Presidential Election completed, the result was not what many were expecting. The Republican party had won with Donald Trump, triumphing over Hillary Clinton. Something about this election stood out to many. At the end of the voting process, the votes were counted up and Hillary had actually won the popular vote but lost the election. This upset many people because this debate split the country more than most past debates. These results led to a question from the people. Should the Electoral College be abolished?

There are many points arguing for both sides of the spectrum. Many Democrats are in favor or abolishing the electoral college after this year's election. A large amount of people now believe that the nation should go off a popular vote now. Some people say that "States don’t use an Electoral College to choose their leader, neither should the nation". Others say that the Electoral College is unfair because it weighs votes in smaller states more.

While there are a lot of people saying that the Electoral College is not needed, many are still saying that it is vital to our voting system. People claim it is a key part of federalism. Robert Hardaway, a professor of law at the University of Denver, says " It is the foundation of our system of government". See here for more info. Not only is it a foundation for our system, but the system has overall served the country very well since its creation.

This leaves many questions up for debate. Is the Electoral College really necessary? Will there be consequences for its possible removal?

Is it Worth the Risk?

Kratom pills and capsule

How can something that looks like some kind of synthetic marijuana and have similar effects to heroin be good? Welcome to Kratom. To be truthful however, we don't actually know if it is a good thing. It has been called many things. From "dangerous drug" to "miracle pain medicine", this drug has split the country on whether or not it should be illegal or not. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has yet to officially declare Kratom a schedule 1 substance. Other schedule 1 substances include Marijuana, LSD, and Heroin. Like many other drugs of this category, there are positives and negatives to taking it.


Kim Byrom, an Atlanta local, has a history of back problems. She started taking Kratom and noticed an immediate impact. She swears it's safe and has helped her back aches greatly. Byrom also says, "If I didn’t have Kratom -- I’m not going back to pain pills. I will illegally use it. I stand firm with that."  However, the DEA looked into this and found more than a dozen deaths possibly linked to Kratom. On the other end of the spectrum, Brandon Short, a psychiatrist in Florida, claims that Kratom is a central nervous system depression and can cause seizures. Read more here. Another issue is that this drug is in fact an extremely efficient pain killer, and could boost the scientific research and development. Placing Kratom in schedule 1 could halt the production and discovery of  useful new medication. When it comes to drugs however, there is always one question that comes to mind. Is it worth it?

With the drug already being banned in Alabama, Wisconsin, Vermont, Tennessee, Indiana and Arkansas, should the DEA look to make it illegal in all states? Is it already too late for people like Byrom who claim that they are more than willing to go outside the law to keep up their supply of the painkilling drug? Why do you think the DEA hasn't already banned this drug when it has such harsh side effects?