17th amendment

17th Amendment

It was the people who fought for our independence, but it is the states that decided to unify themselves under one government. As the constitution was written, the house of representatives was elected by the people. The country is broken into house districts. These districts are managed to the best of the governments ability to best represent the people. The senate was made up of state senators who were elected from the legislator. The senate was meant to be the states voice in managing our country, each state has two senators meaning every state has an equal vote. When it comes to the principal of representation, the senate is a poor representation of the people compared to the house of representatives, since the house is based on population of the districts.

President Wilson and the progressive movement saw the constitution as something that it was intended to be, flexible. The seventeenth amendment was written into the constitution after being ratified in thirty-six states. It transferred the power to elect senators from the legislator to the people and gave the governor the power to fill vacancies. While many see this as granting more governmental power to the people, it has actually removed the power from the states. The constitution WAS an intricately designed document, it structured government to preserve the liberty of the country by ensuring that no one part of government could go off and do stupid things without the consent of the rest of it.

It is the elected house of representatives that made our country a democracy and the appointed senate that made it a republic. Now that the people vote for the senate we are a full democracy, just like China. The only difference is that we vote for the president also. Most of you may see this as a good thing because it is a true democracy and the people choose our government at all levels except judiciary, maybe it is best. But let me ask you this… How’s it working for you? Do you feel like you voice is being heard? I Don’t!

The problem with a full democracy is why our country wasn’t built as one. Now that the balance of power has shifted away from the states the federal government can do what it wants, as it does. Congress has been known to use money as leverage to get legislation passed in the states. Why? They are dependent on the federal government for highway and education money and they have no power to change it. They do not have a voice. Before the seventeenth amendment the states could hold their senators accountable for how they voted. Do people even to that? The truth is only half of the eligible voters participate and maybe ten percent of them actually know what’s going on. By abolishing the seventeenth amendment, we will be able to restore accountability in at least one part of government.

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