Quote:
Originally Posted by August
This guy makes a pretty good case for repealing the 17th Amendment and returning the appointment of Senators back to the states.
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Good point. The original purpose of doing it that way was so the States could retain their autonomy while placing themselves under control of a greater power. The strong central government was necessary to settle disputes between States, get the States to work together on matters of national concern, and to represent them as a whole when dealing with foreign policy.
The House of Representatives represents the people, and members are elected by the people they represent. The Senate represents the States, and members are appointed by those States. The President represents the nation as a whole to other nations, and is elected by a body (the Electoral College) designed strictly for that purpose. When the election of Senators was handed over to the people it was tacitly recognized that the States were no longer independent nations banded together for their common protection and cooperation, but were now reduced to the same subservient level as provinces in other countries.
Is it a coincidence that this happened in the same year (1913) that the Federal Income Tax was imposed upon us? Probably, but it's always fun to speculate.