Political Party ~ Two Party System Failed?
Government Based on the Original United States Constitution
~ Proposed and Submitted by Johnnie Johnson
July 11, 2011
RETURN SELECTION AND OVERSIGHT OF CONGRESSIONAL SENATORS TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
ORIGINALLY: Congressional Senators were chosen according to Article I. Section 3. of the U.S. Constitution which reads: “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years;”.
AMENDED: Then in 1913 (the same year the House was frozen) Amendment XVII was passed, which changed the selection of Senators, from the Legislature, to the people directly, by vote. This amendment reads: “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years;”
OBJECTIONS: One issue with this amendment is that it has placed a great burden on the candidates for the Senate during the campaigning season. There is no way that the candidate can walk the State and shake hands with everyone. Therefore, to accomplish this achievement, the candidate must spend great sums in advertising and personnel to assist him in selling the public to elect him. Many of our returning senators come from Washington with what many call a war chest, including millions of out of state dollars, for advertising and support personnel to sway the public. Choosing the Senator is the duty of the people of that State alone. Out of State influence and support should never be a part of this process. These costs of campaigning are what greatly limit competition in the race and make candidates reliant on donors. There are many who are very capable and would do a fabulous job in office, but for the huge financial obstacle. The founders did not want money to be a deciding factor in choosing between candidates, and neither should we.
Another issue, in having Senators elected by the people, is who is going to hold them accountable, or in other words ‘hold their feet to the fire’? How do you mobilize the people of a whole state for an accounting of, or to keep the Senators updated of the people’s concerns and directives? How does a Senator become acquainted with so many people to properly represent them? These ratios of electors to candidates, are far worse than the sad ratios in the House of Representatives!
Senators were never designed by the Founders in the Constitution to be responsible directly to the citizens of the whole State. This accountability is to slow, to cumbersome, to costly in time and money as well as blatantly ineffective.
Amendment XVII, has caused the selection of Senators to come from a small group of financially supported individuals, and leaves the public wishing there were more candidates to pick from. This lack of competition assuredly does not increase the quality of Statesmen in our Senate. The founders sidestepped this need for large campaign funds and from putting this un-accomplishable burden on the general public.
FOUNDERS INTENT: State legislators come from every part of the state, and as a group, are acquainted with the people and their society state-wide and are already organized to perform State service. These State Legislators, can move more cost effectively and quickly, to inform Congressional Senators of wishes and concerns, in behalf of all State citizens. These Legislators are already the elected voice of their people, and are acquainted with and have more skill with the political processes, political language, and have far more resources and political pull, than the individual general public. There are less than 200 legislators in most State Legislatures. Having our Senators accountable to 200 people, that are already in the service of the people, rather than the people of the whole state, is much more effective. The founders designed the best way for choosing Congressional Senators, and conveying the interest and concerns for the whole state. We would do well to place our State Legislators back in the position of election, oversight and accountability for our Congressional Senators as the founders of the constitution originally designed.
CANDIDATES: How to obtain a pool of candidates for the senate is a state decision, but when it comes time for the legislature to select someone to represent the state in Congress, the candidate who ever he may be, does not have to spend great sums of money, and go in to office under obligation to anyone other than the state.
HOW DO WE RETURN TO THE METHOD THE FOUNDERS DESIGNED?
The people of each state, have already come together and elected the State Legislators. Now let us increase the responsibilities of our State legislators, and assign to them our right and authority to elect, inform and hold accountable, the two Congressional Senators from our State.
For over 98 years now we have experienced the ineffectiveness of having our Senators responsible to the people of the whole state. Once a Senator is elected, most citizens forget about him for another six years. There is no cohesiveness through the citizens of the state to communicate concerns to the Senator or to enlighten him of state needs through out his six-year stint.
When the people in 1913 voted for amendment XVII, the action moved each of the State governments more towards a democracy, because the people were now the ones directly casting their vote for U.S. Senators. There is nothing in the Amendment that prohibits a state from restructuring the manner in which we ‘The People’ elect our Senators. If we as a State choose to exercise our constitutionally appointed election through our state legislature, we move back to more of a Republican form of government. The Constitution of the United States prevents the Federal Government from interfering, and instead requires them to protect our chosen State Republican Form of Government. Article 4 Section 4 reads, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, … ”. This return in the manner of the people electing U.S. Senators, can be made by every State in the Union, and in perfect conformance with Amendment XVII, for the people will exercise their constitutionally directed election, through their chosen and elected state representatives.
This is a huge step Americans can take at this time, without having to wait on Congress, for it is a state responsibility. This action will bring better accountability and more timely direction from the people, through our State Legislature. This move will go a long way to increase the voice of the people, bridle congress, and bring a better balance back to the Federal Government.
We need dedicated Americans, and lovers of the principles our original constitution, to stand up in its defense in every state. State legislators no longer have any authority in selecting senators. The people took that authority away from them through Amendment XVII. Legislatures are not to act independent of the will of the people, but rather in response to, the will of the people. The Legislatures cannot merely pass a law to give themselves more authority. This must be an act of the people to re-empower the Legislature. They have no say in it till we give them the authority to act. In the process though, remember Government is not the master, and we are not the servants, and both must treat each other cordially and respectfully, for we need and must nurture each other.
We the People must take the action to assign our responsibility to vote for Congressional Senators, to our State Legislature, by designing an Initiative to amend our State Constitution to authorize the Legislature. (An Initiative is a publicly sponsored piece of legislation that can be submitted to a vote of the people.) Inform the state citizens and gather signatures on a petition for the initiative, and have it placed on the ballot, and if you garner the support, have a special voting time instead of waiting for the next election. The sooner this takes effect, the better, so the legislature can prepare for the next election, and start overseeing current Congressional Senators.
Next you meet at the poles and choose to exercise the right of assignment. (The term ‘assignment’ is a legal term for allowing another to exercise, in our behalf, a right that we possess.) Let us enlarge the responsibilities of our elected officials in our state legislature. Let us empower them so they can exercise in our behalf, our right and responsibility of election as directed by the 17th Amendment, by voting for our United States Senators for us. This process of having others represent and act in our behalf in some government actions is what Republican Governments are all about.
By using our State Legislatures to represent the people of the whole state, as the Constitution originally directed, there are no financial obligations created or needed from out of State to support candidates; just a completely efficient way of representing the people of the whole state, and having our Senators effectively and continually held accountable and informed throughout their service to our Nation.
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