Repeal the 17th Amendment; Allow states to choose Senators as originally written

[MKSJ]

@TheYoungCentrist

What corporate board, city council, or board of supervisors has a two house legislature? None have one because it is not a good way to run a government or even a company. I believe that in a democracy we should just have a one house legislature representing everyone. The state governments are the ones that have authority over the county because they established their municipal governments being their board of supervisors. I think a one house legislature would make the governments more effective at getting things done and doing the work on the behalf of the people. As well, you will still have checks and balances because people can still vote for their elected officials, petition their government, the state court system can hold the legislature to account and the governor would also.

You keep using the word ‘democracy’.

Our nation is not a ‘democracy’, it is a republic.

[MarkG-LA (Mark T Guillory)]

I absolutely agree with this course of action. One may think that electing a Senator by popular vote gives a Citizen more control of federal power through the Senate but it DOES NOT. Once Senators are elected, Citizens are locked with them for six years. If the States decided via Legislative appointment, as the Founders intended, Citizens at the lowest level could really a recall of the Senator through the State Legislature. This gives MORE power to the Citizens to ensure Senators see to the needs of the State Citizen and not the federal government. It would in effect create a continual leash on the Senator vice a “every six years leash”.

[lad]

A very worthwhile change. The Founders designed a system to keep federal power low and let the states be laboratories of governance while the citizens rights are protected by the Constitution. Some may not know that this change would prevent Congress from running rough shod over the States. One example: Medicaid which has a boatload of negatives, but the law was written that the States would pay for it. Right now at least 40% of state expenditures are mandated by federal law. Can you imagine a Senator voting for Medicaid knowing the state legislature would be against it because they would have to pay for it? The comment about recall is so spot on, Senators would be very in tune with their State at all times, not just in an election year. This could very well be a proposed amendment coming out of a Convention of States because it takes power away from the federal government and returns it to the States.