It is nigh upon the hour for the 17th Amendment to be revoked. Passed in 1913, the amendment called for the election of senators by the people, not the state. Despite the good intentions behind the amendment, this is a complete contradiction of what the federal government was supposed to be.
Senators were to be the elite, the voices of the states, and the advocators of government. Today, the Senate is just a smaller House of Representatives. The senators must reflect their constituents’ will, which often goes against the views of the states and elite, or be voted out of office. Where is the elitism there?
That is why there is such a push to punish the wealthy today. No elitist institution in the government exists to fight the advances of populists in the House of Representatives. Hence, the only solution to this problem is to revoke the amendment.
Dominick Cicala
Avonmore
The writer is a senior at Apollo-Ridge High School. He wrote this for an advanced placement U.S. Government and Politics class.