The Utah Senate asked Congress to repeal the 17th Amendment, which was ratified under the Progressive’s of 1913. Utah has boldly challenged a system that was never the intent of the Founding Fathers and suggests that the 17th Amendment has resulted in Senators being bound to special interest groups, that donate enormous sums of money for the Senator’s re-election, and not representing the needs of the people of Utah.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Al Jackson of Utah, believes that Senators need to “come home every weekend and take direction from their state legislative (sic) body and from the House and the Governor on how they should vote in the upcoming week.”
Passing with 20-6 SJR2 was sent to the House. It demands that Congress repeal the 17th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Read a history of the 17th Amendment and why Utah has made such a bold call to action on the following page.
Repeal congress and replace them with Americans not traitors
That would be GREAT!
Excellent observation.
Terry Murphy perhaps if people paid more attention to their state officials, we wouldn’t be in this mess hmm? By ditching the 17thA we put the responsibility back on the people to pay more attention to who their state reps are.
“Try to keep this in mind, Donald Trump did not steal your money. Donald Trump did not raise your taxes. Donald Trump did not quadruple the price of food. Trump is not stirring a race war. Trump did not leave any US soldiers in Benghazzi to be slaughtered and desecrated by Muslims. Trump did not send the US Navy to fight for Syrian ,Al-Qaeda. Trump did not arm ISIS and systematically exterminate Christians throughout the Middle East. Trump did not betray Israel. Trump did not provide financing and technology to Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Trump did not give our military secrets to China. Trump did not remove our nuclear missile shield in Poland at the behest of Russia. Trump did not shrivel our military, and betray our veterans. Trump did not cripple our economy. Trump did not increase our debt to 20 trillion dollars. Trump did not ruin our credit, twice. Trump did not double African American unemployment. Trump did not increase welfare to a record level for eight years. Trump did not sign a law making it legal to execute, and imprison Americans. Trump did not set free all of terrorists in Guantanamo bay. Trump did not steal your rights!”
This is NOT a good idea for many reasons!
They repealed prohibition, which was an ammendment.
It would not set a precedent: the 21st. Amendment repealed the 18th. Amendment. The 17th. Amendment was passed to “punish” Southern states for ceceding from the Union.
George A. Todd: “The 17th amendment was passed to ‘punish’ southern states for seceding from the union?”
You mean 50 years after the civil war ended, the federal government decided to “punish” those that had nothing to do with the war in the first place? So, why would congress propose, amend, debate and pass an amendment that would “punish” all 48 states (at the time) for the actions of seven states 50 years past? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that argument.
The seventeenth amendment was designed to do just exactly what it did: neuter the states in the legislation process. Once the election of senators became part of the “popular” election, then the People had control over both houses of Congress, and the states had none.
It was the first and most destructive step in tearing down the separation of powers basis for the Constitution, and was passed on the mantra that it should be the People that selects their representatives … well, just like now, there was enough ignorance among the electorate that they bought into the notion; not considering the fact that the House of REPRESENTATIVES was and remains the People’s representatives, and the Senate was intended to represent the States themselves … who, by the way, was elected by the people of those states, thereby making both houses already elected by the People or their rightfully elected state representatives.
Corruption, cronyism and incompetence existed with the appointment of individuals to the Senate prior to the 17th amendment which is why it was enacted in the first place. It would be better (maybe even easier) to criminalize/outlaw all forms (both offering and receiving) of ‘Lobbying’ and get back to having all members of Congress act in the best interests of the people.