Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

17th Amendment needs to come out of Constitution

Regarding Joel Rector’s June 10 letter to the editor, “Taking elections away from voters hardly a panacea,” about the 17th Amendment:

Our constitutional founders wisely formed the U.S. Senate to be a body of state ambassadors. The most effective ambassadors are those appointed by the body of government they are to represent.

Senators must be responsive and answerable to and, if necessary, disciplined by, their appointees. Sens. John Ensign and Larry Craig, both disgraces to their states and their positions, could have been recalled quickly and efficiently.

But the 17th Amendment, by allowing senators to be elected by the people, has negated the most basic framework of our Constitution. It has moved us toward pure democracy. It has invited an avalanche of outside influence in both houses of Congress. It has destroyed a major check and balance of our federal government and it has disrupted the cohesion of our union of states.

Today we have 20 states suing to stop national health care. Arizona is struggling to enforce federal immigration laws, and many states are enacting laws to protect their sovereign rights against Washington’s intrusion.

It is well documented that when state legislators chose senators, there existed bribery and corruption, but at least it was a state problem. A state does not have enough power to destroy a nation.

The 17th Amendment is the root and the catalyst for our dysfunctional Congress, which is out of step, out of touch, and out of control. We need to repeal the 17th Amendment and allow our states to share power and restrain our Congress, or we can stay the course and wait for our international creditors to rein in our Congress and force it to face reality.

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