One Reason Why I'd Like to See the Seventeenth Amendment Repealed

Aside from my personal opinions about Senator Barbara Boxer (now known as Ma'am), there is a point behind this post.  The video speaks for itself.  How does this woman get re-elected over and over again?

As for my point . . .  US Senators were supposed to represent the interests of their state in all business regarding the federal government.  The members of the House of Representatives were to represent the interests of the citizens within their various districts before the federal government. 

But once the seventeenth amendment was ratified in 1913, US Senators were effectively removed from their state legislatures, now to reside full-time in DC.  In practice, US Senators no longer represent their states, but their political parties.  This re-structuring of the constitution has helped to create the kind of pomposity we see coming from Ma'am Boxer in this video.  Senators no longer see themselves as public servants, but as an elite governing class, above the rabble . . .  Sadly, this kind of condescending attitude coming from Ma'am Boxer toward a decorated brigadier general, is typical of virtually all senators from either party.  

One way to put an end to this would be to return these people to their state legislatures (for six months of the year) and force them to represent the interest of their states, not their political parties.  If you want a smaller, more responsive federal government, one place to start is with the repeal of the seventeenth amendment! 

Update on Friday, June 19, 2009 at 10:26AM by Kim Riddlebarger

Here's a great discussion on the reasons why the seventeenth amendment was passed, and the ramifications and benefits of repealing it.  Let's do it!

http://www.liberty-ca.org/repeal17/states/montana2003oneil.htm

Comments

[Brian Davilla]

Very well-said, Kim. Barbara Boxer could make me want to leave the state if I lived there!

[Paul]

If Proverbs is right, this may happen Providentially: Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

You are, of course, correct about the 17th. Let me please add the 16th to your list as well.

Imagine with me the scenario where each American taxpayer received a bill, as they did prior to 1913, for their proportional share of the spending now going on in Congress! If people had to actually pay their $55,000 share of TARP one can only imagine how quickly it would be rescinded! And how many more people would actually vote!

To come back to your point, that level of accountability and increased voter turnout would of course, curtail the likes of Her Imperial Highness.

Best wishes,

[DB]

And don't forget that other momentus 1913 event: The creation of the Federal Reserve System. These three things unbalanced our federal system.

[wayne pelling]

We have the same problem here in the Australian Parliament's Upper House,also the senate. In fact our system is a mixture of UK and USA ie washminster system. Our Senate is made up of 76 senators-12 from each of the 6 States,2 from Northern territory and 2 from Australian capital territory. Do they look after the interests of their States,with the exception of National party senators -conservative junior party-NO,they look after their party first then their state.The Minister for defence is a Senator in the Labour party and he is the biggest head kicker in the Senate,doing the bidding of the party room and not his state

[Bill]

I would have said, respectfully, "No ma'am."

[Paul]

Thanks, DB. I knew there was a third but just couldn't get it!

[Lloyd Cadle]

She is almost as obnoxious as that one CNN reporter (I forgot her name), during the tea party demonstrations.

The reporter forgot that she was supposed to be reporting the news. Instead she got upset because the person that she was interviewing was not worshipping Obama clown, as she and the other Journo's do.

[Zrim]

You have some good points, and I'm as skeptical of the intentions of the powerful as the next Calvinist. But, this sound-bite looks more like someone making clear how she'd like to be publicly addressed. Wouldn't Blago's phone tap be way better to use here? Or pretty much anything Kwami Kilpatrick's ever said or did?

[Matt]

Kwami Kilpatrick - criminal

[Chris Sherman]

Zrim,

Just about everything Ma'am Boxer says should be used against her.

I love this quote by her,
"Those who survived the San Francisco earthquake said, "Thank God, I'm still alive." But, of course, those who died, their lives will never be the same again.

[Zrim]

Chris,

Weird, I thought Miranda applied only to law-breakers, like Blago and Kilpatrick, not those with different politics. You're PC slip is showing.

But I love blunders. Speaking of Blago, that's frickin' golden.

[Chris Sherman]

She is being tried in the court of public opinion, so I think Miranda should apply.

I don't care for her voting record- big government- more taxes- anti-creation- anti parental rights.

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Barbara_Boxer.htm

[DSY]

Barbara Boxer is a complete embarrassment to the great state of California, the US Senate, and the fairer sex. Those who really have "it", don't need to act like this. She completely diminished herself.
DSY

[steve]

insane. Yes - he should address her as senator. Someone besides her should have corrected him. How pompous and elitist.

[DB]

I may be wrong, but I believe the Queen of England may be addressed as "ma'am" in certain circumstances. Does this mean that Madam (oops! Senator) Boxer's position in this world is higher than....?

[quinn]

unreal. how hard did the guy in uniform have to work to get his position and the badges that he wears? absolutely unbelievable.

[mike]

You know, maybe she could get traded to the Senators and become a starting pitcher. They couldn't get any worse either.

[Mike Ratliff]

Show me where to vote for the repeal and I will go for it. :-)

[walt]

<i>Barbara Boxer is a complete embarrassment to the great state of California, the US Senate, and the fairer sex. Those who really have "it", don't need to act like this. She completely diminished herself.
DSY </i>

No, she's an accurate representation of it. We're the embarrassment.

We're also the reason we're completely out of Federal Reserve Notes.

If we only had brains.