Re: Bring Back the States!

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Theowonk) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...

> If you are going to limit individual voting rights, perhaps the "best"
> way to do so would be to limit the vote to those who pay taxes.  Of
> course, in states with sales taxes this would be no limitation at all.
>  At the Federal level, the best mode would seem to be income taxes. 
> If you actually pay any income taxes, you get to vote (note that this
> would eliminate better than 40% of adults).

I'd be inclined to allow three categories:
Tax payers
Property owners
Military veterans


> Still, at the end of the day, the problem is not getting fewer or
> greater numbers of PEOPLE to vote.  The Founders envisioned TWO types
> of political entities to be represented in the Federal government...
> the people (in the House) and the STATES (in the Senate).  While the
> people chose their Representatives directly, the powers and rights of
> the States were protected in the Senate, by Senators elected by the
> state governments.  Note US Consitution, Article 1, Section 3 "The
> Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from
> each state, chosen by the legislature thereof, for six years;"  This
> ensured that the powers of the states would not be encroached by an
> ever-expanding Federal government.

Yay!  Someone else who understands the real purpose of the senate!
It's been pretty lonely all these years...


> This protection has not been in place since 1913. The problem goes
> back to Ammendment XVII, which says in part, "The Senate of the United
> States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, elected by
> the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one
> vote."  The States no longer have a voice in the Federal government.
> There is no longer any elected official in Washington with a vested
> interest in protecting the powers and rights of the States and thereby
> limiting the powers and reach of the Federal government.
> 
> Restoring the rights of the legislatures of the several states to
> elect US Senators would serve several purposes:
>      1) It would give the States the power (indirectly) to protect 
>              their interest in limiting the Federal government.
>      2) It would increase the significance of congressional races, 
>              as this would be the place the people would directly 
>              express their voice in the Federal Government.
>      3) The increased significance of congressional races would
>              likely result in higher voter turn-out and more
>              informed voters.  This would also impact Presidential
>              elections, which are held along with the races for
>              Congress in the appropriate years.
>      4) It would increase the significance of state legislature 
>              elections, because those elected would choose the 
>              Senators.
>      5) Finally, the increased significance of state legislature
>              races would likely result in higher turn-out and more
>              informed voters in these races.  Also impacting other
>              state elected races being decided on the same ballot.
> 
> Of course, restoring the rights of the States in this way would
> require a new Ammendment to the Constitution (repealing the 17th). 
> This is a political pipe-dream.  It simply won't happen.
> 
> But I guess dreaming is all this thread has really been about, so why
> shouldn't I dream too?


I've been advocating a repeal of the 17th for years!
For exactly all the reasons you outline herein.

Bravo to you, sir!