By Harold Pease Ph.D.
On the heels of the Equality Act which opens the door for religious persecution and damages the right of assembly and speech, the Democrats with H.R.1, also misnamed, Bill For the People Act of 2021, seeks to cement corrupt election practices indefinitely. Also, like the Equality Act, it had already passed the House with a solid 220 Democrats over unanimous Republican opposition of 210, before most Americans were aware of it because of the party’s overwhelming control of the press and full-court press censorship practices of anything negative to Joe Biden. Contrary to its title the nearly 800-page, “Bill For the People,” would remove authority over elections from the people. It constitutes a federal takeover of all elections. It incorporates and legalizes every objectionable practice in the election of 2020. It installs controlled elections. Under the Constitution all elections, including federal, are governed at the state level under the philosophy never elevate to a higher level that which can be resolved at a lesser level. The Founding Fathers placed the responsibility for all elections with the body closest to the people, “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senator and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the Legislature thereof” (Article 1, Section 4,). Corruption is isolated and the people themselves, most affected by it, are most likely to correct it. It undermines the Elections Clause cited above which bestows principle authority to the states and the Electors Clause of Article II exclusive authority in presidential elections. “Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress” (Article II, Section 2, Clause 3) Indeed, it could destroy the Electoral College. The state legislature constitutionally creates all law governing elections and holds all jurisdiction concerning the same. Removing them would require an amendment to the Constitution mandating a 3/4th vote of the states rather than a mere bill of Congress passed by the majority of a single party. Thus they hold authority over all voting issues. The Democrats want that power. Again, all election law is the prerogative of the state legislatures alone excepting what presently exists in the Constitution or that which has gone through the amending process, as outlined in Article V, and thus reassigned to the federal government. These include Amendments: 12—election of the president, 15—universal suffrage not race based, 17—direct election of senators, 19—women’s suffrage, 24—poll tax for voting prohibited, and 26—voting at age eighteen. The “For the People Act of 2021” dumps state authority over elections, thus moving it further FROM THE PEOPLE, handing it over to the federal government instead. It would mandate the following: mail-in ballots, a 10 day delay in election results, eliminate voter ID election security, register millions of criminally present foreign citizen voters, explode opportunities for election fraud, prevent cleaning up voter rolls, unleash mobs on political donors, gerrymander districts in favor of Democrats, make vote hacking easier, allow former felons voting before they complete their sentences, help those aged 16 and 17 vote illegally, ban keeping the records necessary for an election audit or recount, mandate ballot drop boxes, and work to extend to U.S. territories extra Democrat seats in congress (“15 Insane Things in Democrats’ H.R. 1 Bill to Corrupt Elections Forever,” by Joy Pullmann, March 8, 2021). Such also violates Amendment 14, Section 2, which gives states exclusive constitutional authority to decide when felons may vote again. Again, a mere statute cannot override an Amendment to the Constitution. It unconstitutionally replaces state authority with unelected commissions. The present independence of state judges assessing election controversies now would be under the authority of a new unelected “Commission to Protect Democratic Institutions” from Washington D.C. If passed this is the largest overhaul of U.S. election law in at least a generation, perhaps since women’s suffrage, totally unconstitutional without an amendment. With virtually no bipartisanship in Congress, Democrats are quite happy with how they “elected” Joe Biden in 2020. The vote in the Senate is predictably 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tiebreaker. Still, Senate rules require a 60 vote margin of victory and that will not happen honestly. This they admit, “If Mitch McConnell is not willing to provide 10 Republicans to support this landmark reform, I think Democrats are going to step back and reevaluate the situation,” Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), the author of HR 1, told Vox in a recent interview. “There’s all manner of ways you could redesign the filibuster so [the bill] would have a path forward” (“The bill still faces a steep climb in the US Senate,” Vox by Ella Nilsenella, March 3, 2021). With the passage of H.R.1 everything previously illegal in an election is now made legal. Simply put, “The bill interferes with the ability of states and their citizens to determine qualifications for voters, to ensure the accuracy of voter registration rolls [and] to secure the integrity of elections” (The Facts About H.R. 1—the For the People Act of 2019, The Heritage Foundation February 1, 2019). Look to permanent one party rule and the end of free elections and the Constitution as we know it if this bill, removing governance of elections further from the people, goes through.
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NEWS
Linn County News website gets new update

Recently you may have seen our notification on our website or our Facebook page that we were undergoing some changes on our website at www.linncountynews.net. We here at the News are happy to announce those changes are nearly complete. Changes to the website include an easier... [More]
Commissioners vote 1-1 on motion to not exceed revenue neutral

County now required to cut budget to meet the RNR rate BY $837,000 The Linn County commissioners, with Commissioner Jason Hightower absent, began the revenue neutral hearing on Monday, Aug. 25, by welcoming those in the audience and stating the purpose and objective... [More]
Linn Valley looks at option for fire truck purchase, new vehicles

The Linn Valley City Council held a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21, with Mayor Lew Donelson presiding and all council members present except for John Weers. City Attorney James Brun was also present. The meeting began with a presentation by city’s financial... [More]
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- Sheriff speaks out on employee benefits
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- Parker 2026 city budget could exceed revenue neutral
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- Economic Development Director resigns
- Pleasanton moves forward with streets plan
- USD 344 adopts new cell phone policy
SPORTS
Frog gigging a new ‘old sport’

It’s another one of those…So…stories. So, last weekend was an adventure. I’ve gotten involved with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Wild Foods Academy (WFA) that is a pilot program designed to educate many ‘left-0ut’ people’s... [More]
Fishing Derby kicks off at Linn County Fair

The annual Linn County Fair and Rodeo Fishing Derby was held on the morning of Aug. 9. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks fish biologist Don George has been heading the derby since 1987 and this year was no different. The derby was divided into three age... [More]
Linn County Farm Bureau hosts annual pedal pull

The Linn County Farm Bureau Association hosted the annual kids’ pedal pull on the evening of Aug. 8. Kids 4 to 12 can compete in the event for a chance to earn a spot at the State pedal pull at Hutchinson. Trophies and a place at the State fair was awarded to the... [More]
More Sports
- From the Bleachers – 717
- Annual demo derby kicks off this year’s Linn County Fair and Rodeo
- From the Bleachers - 719
- Pleasanton trapshooting team shows grit at National Championship
- Blue Mound softball earns second place at Crest
- PV Cheer has strong performances at UCA Summer Camp 2025
- Nobodys wins Blue Mound co-ed softball tournament
- Pleasanton 12-14 baseball wins championship
COMMUNITY
Local family offers drawing lessons for kids in online broadcast
After he and his family relocated to the Pleasanton area from Denver, Colo., Eddie Nouri began working from home as a graphic artist. “I am blessed to be able to work from home,” said Eddie of his position, noting the many different things he has designed over the... [More]
First aid safety with Joe Stellwagon
I recently met one of Linn County’s EMS paramedics to talk about first aid and why it’s important. The paramedic’s name is Joe Stellwagon, and before we talked about first aid, I wanted to learn a little bit about him and why he became a paramedic. Joe works... [More]
Vonnie May’s Ice Cream Shoppe open in Mound City

Walking into Vonnie May’s Ice Cream Shoppe gives those who can’t wait to partake of old-fashioned ice cream a vision of what an old-time ice cream parlor would have been like. Now, that ice cream parlor is open at 510 W. Main in Mound City. Brady and Leslie Wolfe,... [More]
More Community
- USD 346 welcomes new staff members
- USD 344 welcomes new staff
- USD 362 welcomes 8 new licensed teachers
- John and Helen Barnes Community Grant now open
- USD 344 offering virtual school option for 2025-2026 academic year
- Cell phone use at school sees changes for upcoming year
- Filling out free/reduced lunch applications helps students and schools
- Miami County Museum to present one-woman play on Laura Ingalls Wilder