The Niceness concert tour recognizes part of HARDASS reality. Above all the Two Governors say clearly that the federal “government” is utterly broken, and Congress is pointless and functionless. They and other governors have repeatedly petitioned Congress to fix the thousand problems that COULD be fixed, and nothing ever happens. Congress HAS NO REASON to listen to mere governors.
The 17th amendment is part of the problem, though not all of it. Before the amendment, senators were DELEGATES FROM STATE GOVERNMENTS. Senators were chosen by the state legislature, and effectively blocked federal attempts to destroy state sovereignty. Now senators are chosen by “voters”, but because each senator doesn’t represent anything at all, they’re much easier to buy.
In the lower house each representative has a geographical connection to an area with unified commercial interests. He is bought by companies who employ people in the same city where he lives, so he gets real feedback from his decisions. If a rep from western Kansas ruins wheat farmers, he will lose. If a rep from NYC ruins banks, he will lose.
A new article at Brownstone makes a strong case for repealing the 17th, hitting all the historical and modern facts properly.
Polistra's Mill 