Should the 17th Amendment be repealed?

[Paul]

In case you are unaware of the 17th Amendment

The Seventeenth Amendment (Amendment XVII) to the United States Constitution established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote. The amendment supersedes Article I, § 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures. It also alters the procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate, allowing for state legislatures to permit their governors to make temporary appointments until a special election can be held. Under the original provisions of the Constitution, senators were elected by state legislatures; this was intended to ensure that the Federal government contained representatives of the states, and also to provide a body not dependent on popular support that could afford to "take a more detached view of issues coming before Congress

No person shall be a Senator, who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he shall be chosen. Constitution I. 3.

The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states; and the electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislature.

 

[J_Wales]

Yes.

 

[Destro]

that would be great, screw the people voting for their reps, we just aren't as smart as the folks in the statehouse

The whole US Congress would work better if the members were picked by/and worked for those in the statehouse, and not us

 

[Constructionist]

that would be great, screw the people voting for their reps, we just aren't as smart as the folks in the statehouse

The whole US Congress would work better if the members were picked by/and worked for those in the statehouse, and not us

Isn't that why we have the House of Reps? They represent the people, and the Senate represents the states.

 

[rambone]

Would the statehouse have kept Dick Lugar in the U.S. Senate for the last 35 years?

 

[ATOMonkey]

Absolutely.

 

[Destro]

Would the statehouse have kept Dick Lugar in the U.S. Senate for the last 35 years?

actually, yes I believe they would have

 

[ATOMonkey]

Not after he signed Indiana up for a **** load of unfunded Federal mandates.

 

[edporch]

The 17th Amendment should be repealed.

The House was meant to the be the direct voice of the people.

The Senate was meant to be the voice of the State Governments.
This helps with preventing the Federal Government from usurping the powers of the states.
This check and balance is now GONE.

The 17th Amendment is PART of what has led to the out of control unchecked Federal government.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the 17th Amendment was passed in the same time frame that the Federal Government began to grow in power and has led to the out of control monster we have in Washington, DC today.

 

[96firephoenix]

Aside from the first 15 or so, I think most of the amendments ought to be repealed.

 

[canav844]

The 17th Amendment should be repealed.

The House was meant to the be the direct voice of the people.

The Senate was meant to be the voice of the State Governments.
This helps with preventing the Federal Government from usurping the powers of the states.
This check and balance is now GONE.

This, rep inbound for the articulation

 

[edporch]

Quote:
Originally Posted by edporch
The 17th Amendment should be repealed.

The House was meant to the be the direct voice of the people.

The Senate was meant to be the voice of the State Governments.
This helps with preventing the Federal Government from usurping the powers of the states.
This check and balance is now GONE.

This, rep inbound for the articulation

Thanks.

I doubt we'll ever get rid of the 17th Amendment.

Now that the Feds have the power it gives them over the states, they'll never allow an Amendment to repeal it to even be considered by the states.

 

[inxs]

Another brick in the wall of making the Constitution less workable by usurping the power of the States and making them irrelevant... How about doing a mass repeal, I nominate the 16th and most thereafter. Of course a lot of the laws and regulations since 1913 would need to be dumped as well....