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Law Professor: 17th Amendment 'Disenfranchised States'
CNS News ^ | December 6, 2016 | Amy Furr

Posted on 12/06/2016 2:31:55 PM PST by george76

The 17th Amendment, which allowed the popular election of U.S. senators, “disenfranchised” state legislatures and altered the U.S. Constitution's checks and balances, Chapman University Law Professor John Eastman told an audience of state legislators in Washington, D.C. last week.

The amendment made it easier for Congress to pass legislation, which eventually led to the massive growth in federal power that the states are still grappling with today...

“What the founders did is come up with this counterintuitive notion that adding an extra layer of government would provide less government and greater liberty. And it only worked if those governments were in competition with and in conflict with each other,”

That all went away when we disenfranchised .. the states from a role in the federal government by removing their ability to choose the senators,” ..

Before the ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913, each state legislature chose the state’s two U.S. senators while House members were elected by popular vote. This meant that the interests of the state would also be represented at the federal level.

...

the 17th Amendment has drastically altered the system of checks and balances that the founders carefully designed.

...

The 17th Amendment “has been a significant factor in turning what originally was a federation of state governments into a national system, where the federal government sits firmly on top of the states

...

Who are senators dependent on today? The media. The donors. The special interests. Right? They’re dependent on everybody but the states whom they were originally intended to represent here in the nation’s capital

(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: District of Columbia; US: Oklahoma
KEYWORDS: 10thamendment; 16thamendment; 17thamendment; biggovernment; constitution; conventionofstates; electedsenators; seventeenthamendment
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1 posted on 12/06/2016 2:31:55 PM PST by george76
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To: george76

agree


2 posted on 12/06/2016 2:32:46 PM PST by jtal (St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle ....)
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To: george76

Completely agree - need to repeal the 17th.


3 posted on 12/06/2016 2:34:28 PM PST by rigelkentaurus
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To: george76

Bump!


4 posted on 12/06/2016 2:34:34 PM PST by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!)
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To: george76

Yep.

That plus the 19th screwed us forever.


5 posted on 12/06/2016 2:35:58 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Good morning President Trump)
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To: george76

Living in MA I’m going to have to think about this a bit more.

.


6 posted on 12/06/2016 2:37:10 PM PST by Mears
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To: george76

Link seems to be broken - Article here:
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/amy-furr/law-prof-17th-amendment-altered-constitutional-system-checks-balances


7 posted on 12/06/2016 2:41:35 PM PST by monkeypants (It's a Republic, if you can keep it.)
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To: george76
But, but...slavery. Jim Crow. Lynching.

States can't be trusted to take care of minorities. Only the federal government cares about them.

After all, look how much better off they are now than they were when the Civil Rights Act was passed.


8 posted on 12/06/2016 2:42:26 PM PST by Bratch ("The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke)
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To: jtal

Yes, but the people got tired of their legislatures being wholly subsidiaries of railroads, oil companies, or Cotton Inc.


9 posted on 12/06/2016 2:44:00 PM PST by AceMineral (One day men will beg for chains.)
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To: george76

He’s exactly right.


10 posted on 12/06/2016 2:48:46 PM PST by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule.)
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To: george76
I was a firm believer in this when I chose my screen name.

But over time, I have come to believe that we would likely end up with many of the same problems, and the same Senators regardless of whether they were chosen by the legislatures or the voters.

Our real, underlying problem is the grip of the political parties. Though Trump's victory is a major win against party power, and may lead to some changes.

11 posted on 12/06/2016 2:49:21 PM PST by Repealthe17thAmendment
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To: freedumb2003

Add the 16th.


12 posted on 12/06/2016 2:50:49 PM PST by Midnitethecat
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To: george76

Not news.

Glad this guy finally figured it out. Now if the rest of academia could figure it out...


13 posted on 12/06/2016 2:56:02 PM PST by Little Ray (Freedom Before Security!)
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To: Midnitethecat

>>Add the 16th.<<

RODGER THAT!


14 posted on 12/06/2016 2:57:38 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Good morning President Trump)
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To: george76

bttt


15 posted on 12/06/2016 3:04:29 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: freedumb2003

I disagree.

It’s the 16th that needs to go.


16 posted on 12/06/2016 3:05:09 PM PST by jdege
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To: george76

17 posted on 12/06/2016 3:05:16 PM PST by SeeSharp
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To: Repealthe17thAmendment
But over time, I have come to believe that we would likely end up with many of the same problems, and the same Senators regardless of whether they were chosen by the legislatures or the voters.

I agree.

There is not a system of government that is incorruptible. Some are more corruptible than others, but they are all prone to it. Politicians have power. Power corrupts. Our only real check and balance lies within the people.

I really hope Trump is the beginning of a new era in America. An era when corrupt, bought-and-paid-for politicians no longer have chokeholds on their districts and the people hold their representatives responsible. An era when people expect the government to actually run the country in the most effective way possible, sticking with programs that work and eliminating those that don't, when people stop using ideology as a guideline for voting.

18 posted on 12/06/2016 3:05:29 PM PST by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: george76

Correct. 17th Amendment should be repealed. ALL of the “Progressive Era” (1900-1920) amendments should be repealed. So far only #18 is gone.


19 posted on 12/06/2016 3:06:35 PM PST by NorthMountain
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To: george76

100% correct it disenfranchises states.


20 posted on 12/06/2016 3:08:25 PM PST by Secret Agent Man ( Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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