Judge Napolitano: Repeal the "Progressive" 17th Amendment For Better Local Representation

[YouAreOneOfUs]

If the corrupt power out there can corrupt ALL the voters (or use corrupt methods like fixed voting machines ect.) how is giving power to State Legislators to elect Senators any better?

First off ALL Politicians are Corrupt (except Dr Ron Paul) and if any are not it is Logical that it would be easier to Influence a few State Legislators than ALL of the states citizen voters.

[Dewdaahman]

@1:22 "keep callin'.." and when you're done callin' have your kids call when they reach adulthood.. then when your grandchildren reach adulthood have them keep callin', if they're allowed a phone then.. or, arrest, try, and hang the traitors that roam the halls of congress, and the white house, and the supreme court.. with their mindset in power we will never prevail..

[Unclesamslair]

how would eliminating the 17th amedment diminish the influence of interest groups at all?

[jesusthroughmary]

@Unclesamslair When a person has 120 people to answer to, those people can have direct influence and have the attention of the Senator. When a person has 10,000,000 people to answer to, the only way to get the Senator's attention is through lobbying groups and money.

[Unclesamslair]

@jesusthroughmary interest groups and lobbyists would still play a part

[jesusthroughmary]

@Unclesamslair As long as we live in the real world, that will be true regardless of the system. But having a Senator be directly responsible to a mass of 10,000,000 people actually insulates him from the people. It's much easier for me to have meaningful interaction and dialogue with a local representative, who in turn can communicate his district's concerns to our Senators, than for millions of constituents to try to communicate meaningfully with two people.

[jesusthroughmary]

@Unclesamslair In other words, no elected official should have so many constituents that they can't all possibly communicate with him or her.

[uastudy]

The House members are elected by the people, the closest house to the people. The 17th should be repealed. When senators are elected by state legislatures, these senators have to justify their votes to the legislatures the state they represent. The 10th amendment: Those powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the states respectively or to the people.

[sunset261]

And so in their logic allowing one representatives to appoint other representatives would would better represent the will of the people that direct election? Here's the thing, if you think a senator doesn't represent you DON'T VOTE FOR THEM.

[jesusthroughmary]

@sunset261 Senators are not supposed to represent the people. They're supposed to represent the States, who are co-sovereign and the constituent members of the Federal government. The House of Representatives represent the people directly.

[sunset261]

@jesusthroughmary all elected representatives should represent the people.That's kind of the point of having elected representatives. And i'd much rather have them be representatives of the people like true elected officials should be and not just representatives of our representatives.

[jesusthroughmary]

@sunset261 That's not the point, actually. We have a federal system composed of sovereign states. The government was intentionally created with two houses in the legislature, one to represent the people directly and one to represent the states directly. That way the people had their voice on matters that directly affected the people and the states had their voice on matters that affected the states, and BOTH had to be addressed before a law was considered suitable.

[sunset261]

@jesusthroughmary and guess who decides who runs the state? the people do. the people are the very center of our government. "That way the people had their voice on matters that directly affected the people and the states had their voice on matters that affected the states" what are you talking about? The state government isn't some entity existing separately from the people. legislation that affects that states directly affects the people within that state.

[jesusthroughmary]

Federal legislation that affects the States directly affects the people only indirectly. And the principal argument is accountability anyway. 10,000,000 people cannot effectively hold one person accountable. That's why the Representatives were originally limited to representing 30,000 people per district.

[waypasthadenough]

We need law repealers not 'law makers.'

Don't understand? Follow my links. Read the quotes page first.

[Actongue]

How could wilson create the 17th amendment?

It was Ratified by the States when he was President, but he did not create the 17th Amendment.

Changing it dates back to 1826 when Americans wanted to change it.

The senate was controlled by Republicans when it passed

62nd Congress (1911-1913)

Majority Party: Republican (52 seats)

Minority Party: Democrat (44 seats

[waypasthadenough]

@Actongue

At time, post 'war for southern independence,' which the bad guys won, the republicrats were the 'party of big govt.'

Don't understand? Follow my links. Read the quotes page first.

[rentslave]

Don't any of you get it?The purpose of the 17th Amendment was for Jews to pack the Senate.There are 15 of these leeches currently in our august chambers.

[JiveDadson]

The 17th amendment is unconstitutional. The rules for amending the constitution (Article V) require "that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate." The 17th amendment completely deprived every State of any suffrage at all, and handed the suffrage over to the people residing within the jurisdictions of the States. Not every State ratified the amendment. Therefore the amendment is rightfully null.

[rmccay88]

WTF...Beck thinks people who want to audit the Fed are "kooks"??? Wonder how much he is getting paid by the Fed to defend those criminals

[uturniaphobic]

the 17th blurred distinctions between the two houses. it's almost a redundant system now...err a redundant BROKEN system

[DAVIDAMORSE1701]

No more lies from the GOP about their love of the Constitution. The only Amendment they support is the Right to own guns. Sharron Angle even believes conservatives should resort to guns if Democrats win the next election. Support of peoples right to self government but do NOT allow We The People to directly elect our Senators? Allow the state Senators to decide for the people? Facist GOP.

[equsnarnd]

And when the Senators were elected by state legislators and went to Washington and did not represent the interests of the people of their state they were immediately called back by the state legislators and fired!

[sunset261]

@equsnarnd Not really, see the state legislatures would be bought out by the big businesses to appoint senators that would vote for policies that would give the industrialists more power. Before the 17th amendment the senators were essentially pawns of the trusts. The 17th amendment was made to break the trusts' hold over the senate by handing the power over to the people because the trusts can't bribe the general population, thus immensely reducing the corruption in the senate.

[equsnarnd]

@sunset261 The response to corrupt Senators should not have been to make them elected by popular vote which is just as corrupt. It would be to take the power away from them that people try to buy. Tocqueville in 1850 warned about democracy when the people found they could vote themselves largess. We are living that warning. The checks and balances that were built into the government have been whittled away by progressives.

[sunset261]

@equsnarnd Please enlighten me on how popular voting is corrupt? Exactly, it took the power away from them so that they couldn't be bought out. You can't exactly buy out the american public.

[nrkgalt]

@sunset261 It is funding of campaigns that is corrupt. A senator has to raise $30,000 to $40,000 or more per week during his 6 year term to fund his reelection campaign. And while we are at it, the state senators in those states with bicameral legislatures should be appointed by the county and city councils.

[tsofan2000]

Screw the people. Screw them in the ass. Take away their voice.

[equsnarnd]

@tsofan2000 Starting with yours!!

[Cstrife234]

Yeah. That's the funny thing. We elect the state representation and then the state representation legislator elects the federal legislator. That means that the federal one has to abide by the state's decisions. Those decisions were based on what the people wanted or needed through the state legislature. Now we have two different legislatures. What's the point in that? It's to say that federal law supersedes state law. What's the point of state law then? There isn't. Repeal the 17th!

[Logmeoutnow]

I can't help but think that this meeting would have been a lot better without Glenn Beck

[chjoezen]

I think any amendment that contradicts what the original writers of the constitution intended should be scrutinized very carefully. This is really something new and exciting to me. I just stumbled on a liberal website bashing the tea party movement then I simply looked up "Why repeal the 17th amendment." Really, this liberal blogger could have done the same thing. I see a lot of selective ignorance from right and left wing people, but this should be something both sides should consider.

[cowboybill117]

SEESTUFF  He has a show bekieve it is called "Freedom Watch"

[Dirtfire]

Beware of neocons who say a second convention would be a bad idea. All one has to do is read Article 5 of the US constitution to know it would be a good idea, as the States would dictate what amendments are passed, not Congress.

[seestuff09]

napolitano is very wise. he is awesome. put him on tv!!!

[arachnipope]

The Privately-owned Federal Reserve owns the world and buys entire governments; what makes you think they care what you think? We have an interest-bearing currency and that is 1 million times more dangerous than anything else going on because it funds our slavery.

[elbuggo]

Peter Schiff might callange Dodd for Senate - he said.

[midwestcharm]

The representatives are too busy raising funds, they have different ringtones for elite donors.

Audit the Fed.

[sonofaglitch2]

Judge Napolitano freakin' rules! Figuratively, and literally.

[sonofaglitch2]

Or should that be *legally*?

[FkyGGGG]

the girl behind Judge Napolitano is HOT!

[airborne373]

HR1207 support it.

[brder4ev]

I am Loving this conversation , wish I was there. There should be conversations like this in every town across America. WAKE UP

[Tasadaru]

They should make all fraud illegal. Leverage with no backing, loans with no backing, and fractional reserve banking should be made illegal in the Constitution. Also, I love when the woman brang up Dr. Paul's H.R. 1207. Tremble before the people globalist scum.

[psxwarrior]

2:30. That guy looks like Alex Jones.

[Tasadaru]

you're right! lol

[sonofaglitch2]

Maybe from about ten years ago! ha....Good eyes, though.

[RestoreAmerica76]

@psxwarrior That man would be the VERY intelligent David Buckner. Amazing guy and extremely knowledgeable on many many things. He may look like Jones a slight bit but he is not the fraud Jones is.

[MengersDisciple]

Definitely abolish the 16th amendment, Judge. Definitely!

[ronpaulkid]

and 17th amendment!