Comment by Spooky23
3 years ago
It did no such thing. It gave state legislatures less influence in Federal governance.
If you’re a big believer in the mythological principles of US government, the idea of people electing representatives shouldn’t be seen as a diminishing of the state. State power is endowed by the creator to the people.
Legislatures aren’t states. The governor is the head of state executing the laws of the people as expressed by the legislature.
The concept of a Federal government was only expanded in recent (post Commerce clause) times. Historically, the government was meant to be a thin layer uniting a bunch of States together. Within that framework, the Senate made more sense; it was meant to be more of a UN of the States than a representative body. The Constitution throughout was a balance between populist and non-populist interests as the founders had a strong distrust of purely populist rule.
If you're a believer in the somewhat more modern American ideal of a purely populist government then yes, the current Senate makes more sense, but then it doesn't make sense as to why the Senate grants equal power to each state no matter how populous.
> Historically, the government was meant to be a thin layer uniting a bunch of States together.
This has been an argument since the beginning. The thinnest layer (Confederation) was found non-viable and was replaced by a somewhat thicker layer after about six years. There was a lot of argument then, and a lot of argument after the fact, leading to thinning and thickening of the layer.
> but then it doesn't make sense as to why the Senate grants equal power to each state no matter how populous.
Or, under the previous system, why Senators were elected for 6 year terms when they would more easily represent the states' current interests with 2 year terms.
As it turns out, compared to endless war, global economic whipsaw manipulation, climate crisis, mass incarceration, widespread poverty, and heavily entrenched political corruption, the Articles of Confederation actually were pretty viable.
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the Senate grants equal power because in this way the smaller states do not end up without an equal say.
America built in its own rotten boroughs problem as part of the foundation
It turned a bicameral system into the crypto-unicameral.
It removed one of the big checks of "checks and balances" fame.
> Legislatures aren’t states. The governor is the head of state executing the laws of the people as expressed by the legislature.
I'd watch that clusterfuck on pay-per-view. But sure, it'd still be an improvement if you want governors to appoint them.