[robertpaulsen]

Other than the 14th (which I'm growing to hate), the 17th further blurs the separation between the states and the feds.

Why do we need the people to vote on a representative and a senator? Who's looking after the interest of the individual state?

The 14th and 17th have combined to make the states homogenous. That's one step closer to a democracy, rather than a representative republic.

[EBUCK]

I see it a bit better now, thanks.

Popular senators are elected for national interests whereas legislatively elected ones would be bound to the state.

That is a big change aint it. Still, repealing the income tax would make that moot.

[Carry_Okie]

You are absolutely correct in citing the 14th as an abomination. Who in the Federal government should have the power to decide what is "equal"?

It's too much power.

Further, the 14th granted the right to corporations to owm property as 'persons subject to the jurisdiction thereof' (up until then, they could not). That opened the floodgates to European money and it only took them another fifty years to first involve us militarily all over the planet, and second, use the resulting financial panics to bring the Congressional power to coin money to its knees.

The Republic has been accelerating downhill ever since.