There were some problems back in the day. The reason why the 17th Amendment was brought about was because some states had split houses and the senators were not being sent on time.
So instead of letting the states run their course like they were supposed to, the federal government decided to meddle and brought forth the amendment. Surprisingly the states GAVE away their leverage and power and ratified this monstrosity. Now we are paying for their “expedience” and “convenience”.
I want back the way the founders set us up...as a Republic where the states had their power. Can you just imagine the government we would have today? A state powered senate that was looking out for itself? A senate that could have blocked the myriad of laws that infringe on state’s rights?
If we had that today, these state resolutions concerning the 10th Amendment would not be necessary. The 10th would have teeth because the senators would be voting for their states, not for themselves.
As I understand it, the trigger leading to ratification was, admittedly, a Senate candidate from Illinois allegedly bribing a number of IL legislators to assure his appointment in 1912. However, you still need to balance the chances of that happening against returning to the states a potent mechanism by which they could reign in this runaway government.
Correct. The Senate was designed torepresent the states, by which the Constitution meant the legislatures of the states, since according to the republican ideology of the time, legislatures were the dominant over executive and judiciary. In most states, that remains the case. In Texas, for instance, the lieutenant government—the presiding officer of the Senate—has more real power than the governor.