What is the Seventeenth Amendment, and why should it be repealed? The Seventeenth Amendment (Amendment XVII) to the United States Constitution was passed by the Senate on June 12, 1911, the House of Representatives on May 13, 1912, and ratified by the states on April 8, 1913. The amendment supersedes Article I, § 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution,... Wikipedia.
The Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
“The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.The Seventeenth Amendment ratification was a deadly blow to States’ Rights, and Federalism.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.”
Article 1 of the Constitution originally stated that, “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.In their wisdom, the founders of the Constitution in order to preserve the sovereignty of the several states, gave each state senator, selected by the legislatures of said states, one vote. Senators voting against the interests of their states could be recalled and replaced. The founders wanted the United States to be a Democratic Republic, not a Democracy. There is a major difference.
The Seventeenth Amendment changed that, giving the vote to the people, who were already represented by the House of Representatives. The amendment was passed by the senate June 12, 1911, and by the House of Representatives May 13, 1912. It was ratified by the states on April 8, 1913. The amendment supersedes Article I, & 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, transferring Senator selection from each state's legislature to popular election by the people of each state. This was a subterfuge sneaked into the constitution by progressives who were stymied by the senators previously voting for the interests of their respective states. After the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment, Senators gradually became more loyal to their political parties than to the states they represented.
Now, to bring this all to the present in the Senate. If the original provision for selecting senators were still in effect, the states could have had immediate input and influence in the health care bill, or could kill it completely. They could recall and replace senators who are pushing laws, which are not supported by the states. Now, various states are passing laws or preparing state constitutional amendments nullifying certain provisions of the recently passed Obamacare bill.
In the primaries and general election in November 2010, we must select senators and members of the House of Representatives who will have in their platforms, a promise to repeal the Seventeenth Amendment, and to return certain sovereign rights back to the individual states.
When I was a kid, I was confused as to why the US has a Secretary of State that dealt with foreign nations. Until I finally learned what the original meaning of state was.
ReplyDeleteWe ar the United "States" not a united state. By their approval of this amendment, the state legislatures literally disinfrancised themselves. & the results are just as you pointed out.