Posted on 08/13/2004 11:22:59 AM PDT by Aquinasfan
Yep. Kudos to Ambassodor Keyes and GA Sen. Zell Miller, both men who understand that Senators should represent the states against the federal behemouth, not to be a part of it.
No prob. ;)
Just didn't want to get zotted on my third day. :D
IF, IF, IF, IF, IF,
THE LEGISLATORS were not composed almost entirely of
MONEY GRUBBING LAWWWWWYERRRRRS!!!!!
I'd sure consider it.
We, the populace, have certainly not chosen very well--witness the high percentage of brazen traitors.
Given the mass media influences and the rising
IDIOCY LEVELS of the populace,
having even a flawed buffer between the ignorant and the final vote would be SOME slight insurance . . . one would hope . . . could pretend?
Millionaires like John Corzine deadline shenanigans like Luatneburg and "New Yorkers" like Hillary have me conviced. Repeal the XVII and the XVI while we are at it.
Nonsense it has no effect on federalism.
I'm wondering how you link direct election to the "beginning of the decline of the Republic?" Seems tenuous, at best.
So do I.
It's not the only thing that happened, but it was part of the larger movement of the central government usurping the powers of the states, and the country moving away from the intentions of the Founding Fathers.
Too bad the writer didn't feel compelled to write a piece about Keyes' opponents support for infanticide, a slightly more pressing issue.
How does it make him look bad? That was the way Senators were selected from the time the Constitution was adopted until the populist "reforms" of almost a century ago. The whole point of federalism was that the electorate picked the members of the House, the state legislators picked the Senate, and the Electoral College picked the President. There is absolutely nothing wrong about putting things back the way they were originally supposed to work.
So....Libertarian and "blank" are both polling above 50%?????
How so?
Where we are always indulging and forever learning...
Keyes didn't bring the issue up as far as I know. The reporter did.
Long time lurker, first time poster. :)
As a newbie, I know I'm suspect - whether I started posting on day one or opened an account and let it sleep while I watched for a while.
So I'll try to be on good behavior. :)
It does? Not to me.
Why?
What are you talking about? The popular election of senators has done nothing but create a second House of Representatives. The original system was designed to make one of the legislative houses immune to the whims of the general public.
The usual argument concerns the way in which power is allocated between the federal and state governments. It is thought by many that if Senators are chosen by and answerable to the state legislatures (rather than voters of states), then the Senators will be more reluctant to grant to the federal government powers historically exercised by state governments. To the extent that increases in the power of the federal government are attributable to mere power grabs as opposed to being a reflection of changing realities and changing perceptions of realities, the argument is probably a legitimate one.
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