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Rebecca O'Dell Townsend, Esq. Appellate
Attorney & Constitutional Liberties Teacher & Speaker Rebecca's suitcase is always packed and ready to travel. She has been a keynote speaker, sharing the rostrum with such notables as Newt Gingrich and other national figures. Contact: Freedom is Not for the Timid PO Box 76056, St. Petersburg, FL 33734-6056 727.490.2911. Or rebecca.odell @verizon.net. Important Liberty Links
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"The proposed Constitution, so far from implying
an abolition of the State governments, makes them constituent parts of
the national sovereignty,
by allowing them a direct representation in the Senate, and
leaves in their possession certain exclusive and very important
portions of sovereign power. This
fully corresponds, in every rational import of the terms, with the idea
of a federal government."-- Alexander Hamilton (Federalist No. 9, 1787).
"The Senate of the United States shall be composed
of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof for
six Years; and each
Senator shall have one Vote." - Article 1, Section 3, U.S. Constitution.
"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..." U.S. Constitution, Amendment XVII.
Our
founding fathers were very careful to fashion a federal
government of limited power. Our federal government has no power
other than those few, enumerated powers delegated to it by our
Constitution.
Our
founding fathers were also careful to fashion a
federal government where power could not be concentrated. To this
end, they dispersed power both horizontally (between the different
branches of
government)and vertically (between the local, state and federal
governments). One of these safeguards was found in Article 1,
Section 3, which provided
that Senators were to be elected by State Legislatures, giving the
States representation in the federal government. Unfortunately,
the Hurst family decided that they
did not like this system and convinced Americans through their newly
popular national magazine that it needed to be changed. In 1913,
the 17th Amendment was
ratified, providing that Senators were to be elected by popular
vote. It also provided that Senators would still retain their six
year terms. This change
ended State representation in the national government. It also effectively made Senators no
longer accountable to anyone, since they only faced their electorates once every six years. I
personally believe that the 17th Amendment needs
to be repealed. Many Americans wonder why our federal government
has grown to gargantuan size, why we no longer have control over our
government, and why "states
rights" have all but disappeared. Repealing the 17th Amendment
would take us a long way toward restoring the type of government that
our founding fathers
instituted to protect our individual liberties. In
the meantime, keep answering those political party
questionnaires and writing to your U.S. Senators and Representatives,
telling them that you want Congress to confine itself to those powers
expressly enumerated in
Article 1, Section 8. You are not "for" or "against" stem cell
research, you are "against" Congress funding anything not listed in Article 1,
Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution (including medical research) and you are "for" a constitutional government.
Let's roll, Patriots! |
©2008 Rebecca O'Dell Townsend. All rights reserved.