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Utah Lawmakers Call for Seventeenth Amendment Repeal
The Heartland Institute ^ | May 20, 2016 | Matt Hurley

Posted on 05/20/2016 8:04:53 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Utah lawmakers recently approved a resolution calling on Congress to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution repealing the Seventeenth Amendment.

Ratified in 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote. Before the amendment’s ratification, senators were elected by state legislatures.

The resolution, approved by the House of Representatives and sent to the state’s lieutenant governor for filing in March, was sponsored by state Sen. Alvin Jackson (R-Highland).

‘A Formal Check’

Todd Zywicki, a professor of law at George Mason University, says the Seventeenth Amendment removed a necessary safeguard against lobbyists and government’s own nature.

“The framers understood that, in order for the states to be protected from federal government overreach it was necessary to give the states a formal check,” Zywicki said. “That check was by allowing the states in their corporate political capacity, the state legislatures, to choose senators.

“The second aspect was that the Senate was to be a check on special-interest activity,” Zywicki said. “By having the Senate chosen by a different constituency than the House, that was designed to raise the level of consensus to enact legislation, making it more difficult for special interests to capture the government.”

Zywicki says repealing the Seventeenth Amendment is unlikely to happen, though.

“First, the tide of democracy is very strong and hard to stop, much less roll back.” Zywicki said. “Second, it would require a degree of understanding of the importance of constitutional structure that virtually none of the public or elected officials today could or would be willing to understand.”

Worth The Effort?

Ilya Somin, who is also a professor of law at George Mason University, says he disagrees with Zywicki.

“I am not opposed to repeal on principle, but I don't think it’s worth the vast investment of political capital it would take, if it can be done at all,” Somin said. “Our efforts would be far better expended elsewhere.”

Overwhelming Odds

Somin says convincing people to support repealing the amendment is too difficult to be worth the effort and expense.

“The odds against almost any constitutional amendment are stacked, in the modern environment where the political system is highly polarized, and assembling an overwhelming supermajority, are very, very high,” Somin said. “In this case, you also have to overcome the widespread perception that repealing the amendment would be undemocratic.”

Somin says American partisan politics also prevents a successful repeal effort.

“The passage of any amendment requires bipartisan support. Repeal of the 17th Amendment, so far, has attracted support almost exclusively among Republicans, and not even a strong majority of them. Unless and until it gets substantial Democratic support, as well, it has no chance of success.”


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections; US: Utah
KEYWORDS: 10thamendment; 17thamendment; appointments; balances; checks; elections; government; repeal; senate; states; utah
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To: Salvation
Maybe some people don’t want the will of the people. I understand that it might need some refining.

Well, the people do elect the state's legislature, so indirectly, the elect the senate under the pre 17th rules.

More important, how would this improve the senates moral compass? Mark Twain thought they were crooks before the 17th A. How would the change in electing the senate isolate them from corruption? I don't see a difference.

21 posted on 05/20/2016 10:07:26 PM PDT by LoneRangerMassachusetts (behind enemy lines)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Ever wonder how states like Florida whose legislatures are overwhelmingly Republican still vote for bad dem candidates for president, or how you get a dem senator in a place like Louisiana? What you're seeing is that manufacturing votes cannot buy a state house. In other words, dems can manufacture all the votes they want in places like Dade County or Philly, and the GOP will still win its own territories, it's only in a national or statewide race that vote manufacturing can decide a race for a public office.

That says that the very first thing we need to do is rescind the 17'th amendment and return the election of US senators to the state houses.

22 posted on 05/20/2016 10:10:24 PM PDT by ganeemead
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To: Sasparilla

“Senate positions were originally created to represent the individual States.”

I thought each state was created as a Republic, and that the United States was a group of Republics.


23 posted on 05/21/2016 2:00:51 AM PDT by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra (Don't touch that thing Don't let anybody touch that thing!I'm a Doctor and I won't touch that thing!)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
“Second, it would require a degree of understanding of the importance of constitutional structure that virtually none of the public or elected officials today could or would be willing to understand.”

That just may be the understatement of the century...

Interesting he included "elected officials" in his statement...!

We have basically become a type of oligarchy where elected officials are bought and sold like chess pieces by the power brokers...

Just imagine if elected officials took their constitutional duties seriously ...

Leavenworth would be filled up...

24 posted on 05/21/2016 3:42:00 AM PDT by Popman (Christ alone: My Cornerstone...)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Good!


25 posted on 05/21/2016 3:47:03 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Seems like the 17th was/is in direct conflict with the 10th. How do the Feds get off telling the States how to decide who the State reps in the Senate will be? If a State wants to hold a lottery for the positions, more power to them.


26 posted on 05/21/2016 4:08:11 AM PDT by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: Lurker
It was a "good idea" when we started but look around the country today. Most state governments are at least as crooked as the federal government.

As an example, I live in Illinois, we recently had a governor impeached and thrown in the slammer for attempting to sell 0's senate seat after his Ascension to the presidency.

I'd like to think chitcanning the 17th would help but I think that action might cause bunch of new problems.

I really believe that no "meaningful" change can occur in our political structure until very restrictive term limits can be implemented.

I simply believe that our elected officials, and the way that they are allowed to betray the electorate, cannot be trusted to represent the people who elected them.

Career politicians are the problem. Our government was designed to be populated by ordinary citizens "taking a turn". Elective government service was supposed to be a civic responsibility, not a lifetime license to steal.

27 posted on 05/21/2016 4:25:02 AM PDT by skimbell
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To: skimbell
Because you live in a corrupt state doesn't make it a bad idea.
28 posted on 05/21/2016 4:26:32 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

There is no way someone opposed to the repeal of the 17th amendment should be posting their opinions -ever- on a web site called “Free Republic”.


29 posted on 05/21/2016 4:28:48 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

A step in the right direction.


30 posted on 05/21/2016 5:10:33 AM PDT by jch10 (Hillary in the Big House, not the White House .)
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To: central_va
See the part where I wrote "as an example"?

However, if you think that that sort of thing is limited to Illinois, you're just not paying attention.

31 posted on 05/21/2016 5:53:55 AM PDT by skimbell
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To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra

...I thought each state was created as a Republic, and that the United States was a group of Republics...

Only two states were Republics. California for a few days in 1846, and the Republic of Texas from 1836 to 1845. Texas even had several Presidents, including Sam Houston and Anson Jones.

The Constitution and the Bill of rights only refers to States and “the people. “ States are referred to numerous times in the Bill of Rights.


32 posted on 05/21/2016 6:34:12 AM PDT by Sasparilla (Hillary for Prison 2016)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

YES!

Put the States back in the United States


33 posted on 05/21/2016 7:17:00 AM PDT by Ray76 (Judge Roy Moore for Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)
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To: skimbell

I live in Illinois, too. I’m willing to rely on the wisdom of the Founding Fathers in this case. Allowing the direct election of Senators was a horrible mistake even considering the risks inherent with that.

L


34 posted on 05/21/2016 7:55:07 AM PDT by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: Rusty0604; All
”… Trump tweeted out that the people of KY should vote for him as he can bring in a lot of federal money to their State."

Based on the excerpt below, I think that Trump and other rich people would start playing a different tune about federal funding for the states if they understood that a chunk of the federal taxes that they have been paying for years are probably unconstitutional imo.

“Congress is not empowered to tax for those purposes which are within the exclusive province of the States.” —Justice John Marshall, Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824.

Trump needs to understand that the individual states could afford to run their own social spending programs without federal government interference if voters were to wake up and put a stop to unconstitutional federal taxes.

35 posted on 05/21/2016 10:49:10 AM PDT by Amendment10
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To: Amendment10

Exactly. The States should collect what taxes they need to take care of their own business. The federal doesn’t have any business redistributing it and holding it as ransom.


36 posted on 05/21/2016 12:22:51 PM PDT by Rusty0604
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