Lining up for Change

Surely you agree with something in the Obama agenda. Tell me it is not possible that you reject everything the President-Elect is proposing. There is at least one area that gets me excited and gives me hope. That is government accountability / eliminating wasteful spending.

The Dems and GOP both purport to carry this mantle. Neither has been effective. The problem is corruption. The problem is malfeasance. The issue is as old as civilization. The corruption of man's sole, and our tendency to sin against our brother, is as old as mankind.

The best solution was in play at the founding of our Great Republic. Unfortunately, it was undermined in 1911. The best solution is separation of power; spread out the power and double the accountability. We practice this in most institutions of our great society. Look most school boards, city management systems, and non-profits. You may think we have separation of power at the federal level with the Executive, Judicial and Executive Branches being distinct. However, an important aspect of separating power is now forgotten and overlooked, and it has turned our government on its head.

I am speaking of the Upper and Lower Chambers. The House and the Senate of the U.S. Legislature were much more distinct than we find them today. When the Constitution was written, the federal government was established in such a way as to respect the existing State Constitutions that were already extant. The feds had to respect the sovereignty of the individual states.

The Upper Chamber, the Senate, was responsible for protecting the States, as they were appointed by the State Legislatures (Article 1 Section 3, U.S. Constitution). The popular election of U.S Senators, established by the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, removed a key element of the separation of power found in the U.S. Constitution. The Senators were directly accountable to their State Congressmen, and therefore had a vested interest in protecting State Rights. This mitigated undue influence from general lobbying. Furthermore, the U.S. Senators were not subject to the popular election campaign funding temptations associated with the U.S. House seats.

My friends, the Seventeenth Amendment has enabled corrupting forces to cease power at the federal level. Certainly, there are other factors, but this is major. The Seventeenth Amendment has enabled the Federal Government to expand at its greatest rate in all of U.S. history. The Seventeenth Amendment has subjected Senators to the same campaign and lobbying influences as the Congressmen of the Lower Chamber. This makes it easier for laws that undermine States Rights to pass both chambers. This makes it easier for the expansion of the federal government. Repeal Seventeen!

God Save the U.S.A.