This amendment created the popular election of Senators the same as House Representatives.
The original plan was for states legislatures to control the Senate. This assured state legislatures could have a check on government overreach by having the state legislatures appoint their Senators to Washington DC. This maintained the concept of federalism and protected the power of the states to be sovereign. The original plan was for all the issues that the government in DC now seizes power over, would remain at the state level of control. And if a Senator in Washington DC started going rogue, the state legislature could recall and replace the rogue senator. This allowed “big government” to be closer to the people via individual state legislatures. It also incentivized voters to vote in their local elections because the people placed in state office would appoint senators at the national level. This is of further significance because the Senate is the body that approves and confirms seats on the judiciary. The 17th amendment took a hatchet to the 10th and completely eliminated a critical check and balance on the federal government.
The original plan was for states legislatures to control the Senate. This assured state legislatures could have a check on government overreach by having the state legislatures appoint their Senators to Washington DC. This maintained the concept of federalism and protected the power of the states to be sovereign. The original plan was for all the issues that the government in DC now seizes power over, would remain at the state level of control. And if a Senator in Washington DC started going rogue, the state legislature could recall and replace the rogue senator. This allowed “big government” to be closer to the people via individual state legislatures. It also incentivized voters to vote in their local elections because the people placed in state office would appoint senators at the national level. This is of further significance because the Senate is the body that approves and confirms seats on the judiciary. The 17th amendment took a hatchet to the 10th and completely eliminated a critical check and balance on the federal government.
2 replies on “Repeal the 17th Amendment!”
Repealing the 17th Amendment is great in theory, but I fear that in practice, little would change, because there is nothing inherent in the Constitution that prevents the individual states from choosing their Senators by popular election.
We all need to comprehend that the purpose of a bicameral legislature was to balance the interests of the citizens with the interests of the state governments. It is the ultimate expression of Federalism, and the 17th Amendment helped destroy that concept so thoroughly that I don’t know that its repeal would be able to restore the concept. Federalism requires work, and too many people are, it seems to me, inherently lazy.
You are 100% spot on, the 17th was the first step in the progressives attacks on our Republic. Repealing 17 would go a long way in restoring some self control to our government.