Repeal the 17th Amendment

Frank Borelli
Editor In Chief
New American Truth
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I was happy to read an article online this morning about the 17th Amendment and the author’s thoughts on how America would benefit if it were repealed.

Enacted in 1911, the 17th Amendment changed Senator selection for each state. Prior to the 17th Amendment, Senators were elected by each State’s legislature and could, therefore, be recalled or replaced by majority vote of a state’s legislature. With the enactment of the 17th Amendment, selection of Senators became a product of popular vote in a given state and enabled Senators to effectively own their Senate seat until they died or until they did something so drastic the people replaced them in an election.

What we don’t often realize was accomplished with the enactment of the 17th Amendment was this:

The careful balance our founding fathers created between federal and state government was done away with in favor of power to the federal government.

By empowering the Senators with election by popular vote, the House and Senate then became almost untouchable bodies of regulators, impeachable and policed only within themselves. If WE THE PEOPLE have an issue with something, we must wait to vote and then trust that our “ruling” bodies will act on our votes. We are put in the precarious position of trusting politicians to do the right thing. In recent times there has been more than enough evidence to show that politicians can rarely be trusted and “doing the right thing” is wide open to many interpretations.

What is critical for us to understand is that the balance of power between federal and state governments was carefully crafted and we upset that apple cart in 1911. Prior to that, if a Senator didn’t perform in accordance with the wishes of his or her state legislature, then (s)he would be recalled and replaced. So if a Senator wanted to remain in the Senate, performing those duties, (s)he paid attention to the will of THE PEOPLE as reflected through the state legislature. As things stand today, Senators can feel quite secure in their position and can play “big brother politics” instead of acting on the will of their constituents back home.

Consider how the repeal of the 17th Amendment would affect certain issues today…

Healthcare Reform: we’ve seen states that have passed legislation clearly stating that they won’t consider themselves bound by any federal healthcare reform legislation. They view said legislation as a violation of their state sovereignty under the 10th Amendment. If the 17th Amendment hadn’t been enacted, Healthcare Reform – as pushed by the current administration and largely being determined by “big brother politics” wouldn’t be an issue.

Illegal Immigration: how much leeway would the federal government be able to grant if immigration were more largely controlled at the state level? Perhaps if Senators were still elected by state legislature, there would be less “big brother” maneuvering with regard to this issue and more focus on efficient enforcement at the state levels.

Everything from taxation to highway funding to traffic law and more – if the House of Representatives had to negotiate with the Senate from a different perspective because of the greater ease with which Senators could be recalled or replaced, “big brother politics” would be less of an issue and the power of the federal government wouldn’t be growing at the alarming rate it is today.

Given all of the above, I encourage you to take a look at the 17th Amendment. You can Google it and find it on Wikipedia or wherever. Take a look at it. Study it for a few minutes. Consider whether you think the country – and each inidividual state – would be better off if it were to be repealed. Then contact YOUR public representatives and encourage them to act accordingly.

I’d love to read your thoughts on the matter.

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