Lugar fallout: time to repeal the 17th Amendment? The 17th took election of US Senators from state legislatures in favor of the general public. Michael Walsh says it’s has made the Senate an insular club whose members’ allegiances lie with one another rather than their constituents and tipped the balance of power from the states to the feds. He’s right about the insularity and the balance of power but we’re not sure repealing the 17th would change that. Here’s a website if you’re interested.
This post was last modified on January 26, 2021
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The 17th should absolutely be repealed. We effectively lost the Republic the framers gave us when it passed. There were three parties represented when the contract we call the Constitution was written; the people, the states, and the federal government, yet the 17th effectively eliminated the ability of the states to be represented.
The 16th can go away as well, just saying.
The People's House was supposed to be the House of Representatives. I'd be fine with repealing the 17th Amendment and go back to the state houses electing our Senators. The turnover of Senators in many states would be much faster. That would be healthy.
I agree. The Senate was never supposed to be a "super congress".
It would definitely improve states rights too.
It does make sense, after all, that was the intent of the Senate, where the States were represented, not the population. On the other hand, I'm not sure if it would make things any less insular or incestuous; I severely doubt that with Beacon Hill choosing our senators, Scott Brown would be in D.C. for Mass. right now.
Since our Congress is loosely based on th eUK model, that actually makes sense. Instead of a House of Lords, we have the Senate, ostensibly smarter, better prepared, better educated; and the House of Representatives as the people's house, elected by the populace in general from their home states, like the house of commons. But because there used to be term limitations, anda requirement for 1/3 of the Houses to change every so many years, it prevented the insular behaviour we get now. Now every member of Congress actually LIVES in Washinton D.C. and simply maintains some property at home so they can stil be re elected.
Now every member of Congress actually LIVES in Washinton D.C. and simply maintains some property at home so they can stil be re elected.
Luger didn't even own property in Indiana.