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To: HamiltonJay
If you think the state and the people will share completely the same interests, then there is no reason to even have states.

Not at all. States are very useful because they allow people with similar interests to bind together and form laws that will govern them within a state. The interests of people in one state may differ than those in another. Having geographic boundaries for local government allow the majorities in each to craft laws that satisfy them.

And I see no reason why the People of a State can't have the power to recall its senator. While the process would be necessarily slower than if a governor recalled him, it could still take place more easily than it is now.

What might a State want to do legislatively in the Senate that might not be in the interests of the citizens in the State?
59 posted on 09/24/2002 6:49:32 PM PDT by BikerNYC
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To: BikerNYC
The popular election of senators completely removes states from the federal government. It makes the Senate nothing more than a glorified house... the Senate because nothing more than individuals controlled by parties and not beholden to any principle other than party loyalty.

Senators were to be elected by state legislatures, and could be recalled by them or the state governors at any time. So a Senators primary responsibility was to represent the state's desires and interests. Once they became popularly elected, the state now had no say in the matter.

The only course states now have is for Governors basically to beg the federal government not to do anything, the have no ability to enforce the states desire or need. A governor or state legislature cannot order or threaten recall of a senator if they break rank with the states needs or desires for something the senators party desires. Recall was instant and real threat, the idea that you will recall a popularly elected senator is ludicrous, it doesn't happen.

Senators are now owned by special interests that may or may not even have interests in the states they represent. If a senator got elected because of big money from another state, do you think his loyalties will be with his state on voting day, or with the money that will help him win election again? The 17th ammendment has been an absolute disaster and needs to be repealed, unfortunately most americans don't comprehend and don't want to comprehend the absolute neccessity of states rights and representation in the federal government to their own freedoms, because they believe their direct voting is more "fair" and democratic, when in fact it guarantees that the federal government will continue to expand its power and that states and individuals will continue to lose theirs.
61 posted on 09/25/2002 5:44:08 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
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