[Speed Gibson,
Thursday January 20, 2005 at 3:32pm]
Repeal the 17th Amendment
As the recent Senate proceedings indicate, we have a number of U. S. Senators of questionable intellect, not exactly compus mentus. You know some of the names: Barbara Boxer, Patrick Leahy, Jim Jeffords, Mark Dayton, and to be fair, Arlen Specter. How do such marginal people get elected to this august body?
They get there by being celebrities, and running as such. The Constitution provision that would have blocked most of these was repealed in the 17th Amendment. The Senate was originally supposed to be elected from the state legislatures. The 17th Amendment changed it to direct election, and now campaign finance "reform" has all but made it a millionaire's club.
The likes of a Mark Dayton would never have been sent to Washington, even if the DFL held both houses. Too many others, better qualified, with more experience, having paid their dues within the Legislature would easily have defeated a party back-bencher like Dayton. We might not like their votes any better, but at least they wouldn't embarrass the state, including the DFL.
The millionaires are in charge of the Senate, and are unlikely to propose, let alone pass an Amendment repealing the 17th Amendment for the states to ratify. We can at least point to this and say that repealing Electoral College, taking ultimate control away from the state legislatures, would be equally foolish.
They get there by being celebrities, and running as such. The Constitution provision that would have blocked most of these was repealed in the 17th Amendment. The Senate was originally supposed to be elected from the state legislatures. The 17th Amendment changed it to direct election, and now campaign finance "reform" has all but made it a millionaire's club.
The likes of a Mark Dayton would never have been sent to Washington, even if the DFL held both houses. Too many others, better qualified, with more experience, having paid their dues within the Legislature would easily have defeated a party back-bencher like Dayton. We might not like their votes any better, but at least they wouldn't embarrass the state, including the DFL.
The millionaires are in charge of the Senate, and are unlikely to propose, let alone pass an Amendment repealing the 17th Amendment for the states to ratify. We can at least point to this and say that repealing Electoral College, taking ultimate control away from the state legislatures, would be equally foolish.