The reason repealing the 17th Amendment is extremely important is in the founders scheme, the states had a direct and superior (though not outright) role in our Constitutional Federal framework as part of the delicate institutional checks and balances Madison created. The Senate was intentionally mandated as the extension of states into the federal government as it was intended to balance off the House and fight to protect the collective sovereign rights of the states. The approach to Senate elections also underscored the 9th & 10th amendments and the mandate sent from the framers to keep the Federal government limited. In the name of democracy this was changed during the populist fervor of the early 20th century and we decided to give over this body to the popular elections, when it really was partisan political bosses. In doing so they: a) severed the golden tether of the Senate being able to keep back federal over-reach, and b) turned the body of supposedly wise and disinterested voices of state sovereignty, into the most harshly partisan cuckolds, and of course in need of massive whoring to the parties to insure their election. Let the state legislatures go back to electing the US Senate. Many problems resolved through this one simple change. I am almost 100% sure we would get extremely good, public spirited leaders from this process given the prestige, huge labor pool and demand that having Senators apply for the position and be approved (vs playing Payola Politics) would bring.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 19:17:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015