The loss of control of symbolic expression is the final step in being conquered by those who have mastered symbolic expression.
s'up. no problem.
Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.
Posted on 12/16/2010 1:04:46 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
A recent exchange between Sean Hannity and one of his listeners provides an opportunity to educate the public on the 17th amendment of the United States Constitution. Sean, defending the 10th amendment - which grants those powers not specifically delegated to the United States to the States respectively - did not agree with the caller’s wish to see the 17th amendment repealed, and seemed confused as to the amendment’s implications. The 17th amendment, for the edification of Sean, was enacted in the magical year, 1913 - the year that gave us the income tax and the Fed! - and stripped the power of state legislatures to elect Senators, delegating this duty to the people of each state, respectfully.
This damaged states’ rights and weakened the 10th amendment. As I stated in an e-mail:
Dear Sean—concerning the 17th amendment, the argument for its repeal absolutely centers around states’ rights. If Senators are elected by elected reps and senators, they are more likely to defend their state against federal encroachments (upholding the 10th amendment), than they are if elected by the general population. Any federal program - ObamaCare, the financial reform bill, etc., - which increases burdens on state budgets would not sit well with Senators answerable to congressional bodies in their state.
So, yes, the 17th amendment lacked foresight. As unprincipled Senators in all 50 states swagger about the Capitol, schmoozing with lobbyists and expanding government, it’s important to know why. On November 2, 2010, the People voted to defend the Constitution. But while all men are equal...
(Excerpt) Read more at canadafreepress.com ...
Nope, but people can get away from a State, leaving the country is a different matter.
He would be another unknown, had Rush not let him take the EIB chair occasionally. I think Rush regrets it.
I'd like to see your reasons why the money will still be spent.
To me, the money goes towards endless Boxer and Fiorina ads every 15 minutes on every channel on my TV set for months and months during the primaries and during the general. Are you saying that ads like this will still continue if the state legislature did the chusing?
What about bribery laws? Where will the money be spent on the state legislature selection of Senators that won't be illegal?
-PJ
Good point. The idea that state legislatures would magically become something they haven't been in generations if they had the power to choose Senators doesn't hold much water.
The Amendment went through because if the Senate weren't popularly elected it would lose power, as all legislatures that aren't popularly elected have done in the last 200 years.
The Senate would have become merely a formality, a rubber stamp, and power would have passed to the House, which could claim with more accuracy to represent "the people."
“You’re citing Senators appointed by governors on the death of a sitting senator...not selected by state legislatures as per pre-17th Amendment guidelines.”
True, but why would state leges be any different? Same class of political animal.
And you DO know that pre-17th amendment many states were electing Senators popularly anyway. Right?
The loss of control of symbolic expression is the final step in being conquered by those who have mastered symbolic expression.
s'up. no problem.
Not quite. State legislators tend to be a lot more responsive to their constituents. Many are term limited, and I'm not aware of any state legislators that sit comfortably for six long years, although there very well could be some. All that makes them a very different class of political animal.
"And you DO know that pre-17th amendment many states were electing Senators popularly anyway. Right?"
Of course, but I would make two caveats to that. Prior to the passage of the 17th, I would submit that the average voter had a much better grasp of the concepts of federalism and voted accordingly; I would venture a guess that the common mischaracterization of our system as a "democracy" built a lot of steam following that time, and that has been a philosophically detrimental force. My second rejoinder would be that as long as some senate seats were by appointment, it becomes more difficult for labor unions and other lobby groups to nationalize them. You could argue that would free up more resources to target the seats in popularly elected states, but in a sense, they'd only be getting less for more.
Dear G-d, they never stop with this!
I still don’t want Mike Madigan appointing my Senators!
“He would be another unknown, had Rush not let him take the EIB chair occasionally. I think Rush regrets it”.
...Rush doesn’t regret it. He likes to see people get ahead and he enjoys helping with that. Sean is no competition for Rush. It’s all about looks and the “fair and balanced” routine with Sean’s success. It’s about women 35-54. That’s why he does well on TV. Rush didn’t do so well.
“Trying to take the money out of politics is like trying to take the money out of prostitution. It cannot be done because they are basically the same.”
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Why is everyone who comments on our politicians so disrespectful...of prostitutes?
He’s yet to figure out the proper usage of “me” and “I”.”
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
He has a lot of company!
As country kids in fifth grade we used to catch it from the teacher for saying, “Me and Jimmy went fishing.” Now we hear some supposedly educated person saying, “Jimmy went fishing and gave his catch to John and I.” One is just as wrong as the other.
Then we hear the “first lady” with her Harvard law degree saying, “Me and Barack.......”
Folks what got dem advanced degrees be talkin’ like po’ folk.
Ya gotta kinda admire him though. Not knowing anything about the subject doesn't stop him from talking about it. /S
Sean used to say *McCain* too. It's amazing to see how well that worked out for us.
I generally agree with the characterization of these six Senators as dregs, but disagree with you on two points.
The first point is that these dregs were appointed as placeholders. The governors who appointed them (at least in the case of Florida and West Virginia) didn't want a strong Senator who could challenge them for the seat during the regular election.
The second point is that these folks, as I mentioned earlier, were appointed by Governors....not by the State Legislatures. I think you may be mixing apples and oranges on this one.
--chortle--
As was their right to do however they wanted. The problem is that the States rights were taken away by the 17th amendment.
“Me and Jimmy went fishing.” I correct people by asking them to drop out the words "and Jimmy." = "Me went fishing."
"Me Tarzan, you Jane."
“And you DO know that pre-17th amendment many states were electing Senators popularly anyway. Right?”
“As was their right to do however they wanted. The problem is that the States rights were taken away by the 17th amendment.”
3/4ths of the states agree to this change. It was convenient to have a consistent rule as to how US Senators got there. Repealing the 17th amendment will be a waste of time for a simple reason: Every state will continue to elect Senators by popular vote anyway. Why? Because voters (like me) will demand it. I dont trust my State Rep to make this decision.
Now that made me laugh!
If you listened to Rush as much as I do, you would know better than say that, He just doesn't have anything good to say about him. Levin on the other adores him, and I like Levin.
Ever notice that Glenn Beck has never been mentioned by Hannity? Levin says there is a lot of posturing going on that threaten Hannity.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.