Saturday, January 23, 2010

Senate election in Massachusetts cries out for 17th Amendment repeal

Senate election in Massachusetts cries out for 17th Amendment repeal; The Knight Shift

[T]he real reason why I'm not really feelin' anything one way or the other about this election is because in the saner world of another time, this election wouldn't have happened and Ted Kennedy likely would never have gotten close to a Senate seat anyway. Because before the Seventeenth Amendment was passed, senators were elected by the state legislatures! The Founders meant for the House to represent the people and for the Senate to represent the states. It's the way it was until 1912 when the Seventeenth was ratified and senators were elected by popular vote.

Sure, there were problems with the previous method of electing senators. But you tell me: could it possibly have been any worse than the dirty, corrupt slugfest that modern Senate campaigns have become?

Consider this also: would something like "health care reform" stand even a remote chance of becoming an issue in a Senate made up of members who were sent their by their respective states, rather than be installed (for lack of a better word) by political parties?

The Seventeenth Amendment has proven to be a failure more spectacular than Prohibition. It should be repealed and the election of senators returned to the individual state legislatures.


Comment: I agree; and I would add that the majority of our US Senators would never have been elected if the 17th was never enacted.

Repeal the 17th!

1 comment:

danq said...

Don't forget REAL ID and NCLB, they wouldn't have passed a pre-17th Senate either.