September 25, 2002

Chris points out a John

Chris points out a John Dean (of Watergate fame) article on the Seventeenth Amendment. That's the one that allows direct election of Senators. Chris calls it one of the worst changes to the constitution. Dean argues that it allowed the federal government to trample over states' rights because Senators were no longer beholden to the corporate interests of the states. Instead, they were beholden to the impulses of the voters.

Todd Zywicki's research was mentioned in Dean's article and he adds a little more to the discussion.

Jacob Levy responds [via InstaPundit] to Zywicki. He briefly describes other countries' upper legislative houses. Then he argues that the 17th Amendment may have prevented the Senate from becoming a powerless body.

"The Seventeenth Amendment: Should it be Repealed?"