Saturday, August 18, 2012

Flake, as in an Unreliable, Silly Person; a Ditz

Flakewear


Direct election of U.S. Senators
Adopted May 31, 1913

Why this Tea Party idea to repeal the 17th amendment is a bubble discussion of a flaky idea, which the brain-dead Cato Institution heartily supports.  But there's nothing silly or retrograde in deploring the effects of an amendment that has done untold damage to federalism and limited government.

From the U.S. Senate website:  "Direct Election of Senators".

Excerpt:  Intimidation and bribery marked some of the states' selection of senators. Nine bribery cases were brought before the Senate between 1866 and 1906. In addition, forty-five deadlocks occurred in twenty states between 1891 and 1905, resulting in numerous delays in seating senators. In 1899, problems in electing a senator in Delaware were so acute that the state legislature did not send a senator to Washington for four years.

Limited government.  No representation.  Yeah, that works!

The height of hypocrisy
Prior to the enactment of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution the U.S. Senators discussed federal affairs with their state legislators on a regular basis. At THAT time U.S. Senators did not have to raise millions of dollars to run for office. They were not beholden to the large corporations.

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