CCg nails it. The intent of a 2 house congress is that the several States have representation. This is what a federal constitutional republic is all about. 17A effectively DESTROYED the Republic.
About 4 years ago I was in a Big Lots and saw $3 book by Larry Sabado that proposed modifications to the U.S. Constitution. I figured I would be open-minded and see what Larry was proposing... and when I got to the part where he proposed that Article 1, Section 3 be modified to give more populous states more seats in the Senate, with senators being elected by popular vote, I closed the book and heaved it across the room at the wall.
Imbecile. ZERO grasp upon the original intent of the Senate. ZERO grasp of how critically important the decentralization of power is to a federal republic.
Voters were once able to directly influence how their statehouse acted and who it might send to Washington D.C. It put the power directly in the voting district, where if a state representative refused the will of the people that elected him, that representative was, minimally, removed from office. At worst, his home could be burned to the ground by an angry mob as they found the nearest tree to hang him from by the neck with a rope.
That is how it “should be”, IMHO.
That is how it “should beâ€, IMHO.
Really hoping that is hyperbole.