The 17th Amendment Isn’t Going Anywhere
There’s a faithful remnant among conservatives that continues to agitate for repeal of the 17th Amendment, allowing the direct election of U.S. senators. They claim that the amendment undermines federalism and that returning to the origin...
Originally the State legislature selected the two senators.
With the 17th Amendment, people elect for the Senators directly.
However, the Senators still represent the people in the Federal Government and hence the argument that this "destroyed federalism" is bogus.
This is exactly what a representative government is supposed to look like.
Mad respect to you bubble, but you are so incredibly wrong with that take.
The House represents the People.
The Senate is supposed to represent the States.
The 17th shifted the senate to represent the People as well, eliminating any representation of the States in the Federal Government.
In the past 100 years, we’ve seen the Federal Government completely take over literally everything, ignoring the 10th amendment and way overstepping its authority.
This happened because there is no one at the federal level defending States’ rights anymore.
THAT is why legislation has to pass both Houses before it will become a law- both the People’s representatives and the State’s senators must authorize the new law. This was the States’ only check on the power of the Federal Government, especially in light of the Supremacy Clause.
The 17th destroyed Federalism because it turned State governments into subservient entities below the Federal Government, with no power to prevent Federal overreach.
Thanks for this response. I will have to do more research on the difference between representing the people vs representing the States.
Can you give a concrete example of where senators elected by the legislators would help curb the power of the federal government as opposed to those elected by the people directly?
...precisely...
Originally, the States of the Union were represented in Congress via Senators that they appointed. Now the States have no voice.
...sadly true...
...but the lobbyists do...
It's the 16th that can go away...
https://archive.ph/wip/fZ7zN
We need to repeal this before we are done.