Electoral college no longer serves us well

Dear Editor,
By and large the Founding Fathers were “landed gentry” interested in organizing themselves into an independent republic free from subjugation by King George or any group — including other refugees from Europe or elsewhere.  
On June 15, 1804 the Congress ratified the Twelfth Amendment: “The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote for President. The results shall be mailed to the President of the Senate who counts them. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President.”
And that, my friends, is how we came to have “The Donald.”
If you think that we may be better served by a different method, you could join other like-minded citizens and promote it.  But beware, there are well organized groups, unwilling to cede political power and well-staffed and funded, who will rise up and defend the current system as is.
Why wouldn’t they? It has been very profitable for them even if at great cost to the rest of us.
Back in the early 1800’s, not so many ordinary citizens could — or for that matter — had any political arguments to read. For those reasons selecting selecting a President and/or an economic system was left to those who could and did read, discuss and argue.  
This arrangement did nothing to protect us from self-serving oligarchs. Right now would be a good time to correct that oversight.  
We have nothing to lose but gross economic inequality. 
—Jerry Baird