I don't know much about how things would work out by repealing the 17th, but this paragraph on it certainly brings out good points:

"Originally, each Senator was elected by his state's legislature to represent that state in the Senate. This was intended to protect each state's power within the federation established by the Constitution by having its own direct representation in the Congress. While an unqualified candidate might win a popular-vote majority through demagoguery or superficial qualities, the legislature, which could deliberate on its choice, and whose members had been selected by their constituents and had experience in politics, were thought safe from such folly.

Finally, election by the legislature was expected to insulate Senators from the distraction of public campaigning for election or re-election, leaving them free to concentrate on the great business of the federal government. This last purpose was also served by the six-year term for Senators, compared to the two-year term for U.S. Representatives."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sevente...s_Constitution

On the surface it sounds like a great solution but.... do we really want politicians appointing other politicians? Just saying!

I think our representatives should get two terms, one in office and one in jail.

On top of all this financial mess, rhetoric and politicking
 

taken from another thread.'''

We now add The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What will be their budget, pay for top executives, how many new federal employees will they add? Will they need a new building? How many limos and aircraft will they need and what is their mission?

Tell us please, what they are going to do, that are not already responsibilities of existing Federal Agencies and Congressional Oversight Committees

From their website look at job openings and salaries at

http://www.consumerfinance.gov/jobs/

Yeah, we have a crisis in Washington. But I think it's more a problem of sanity than financial.

If there were no "parties" and no lobbyists our representatives and senators might actually think about doing what's right for this country. These clowns only care about what's "best" for their pocketbooks and their party. If they managed their personal finances the way they are running this country they would have been bankrupt a long time ago. Oh, wait, I forgot. All they have to do is "raise their debt limit" and they will never have to worry about bankruptcy!!

Like Chicago mayors.

If they cannot come to an agreement, let Obama make the decision. He is the top dog in Washington. He is very intelligent and that makes him better equipped to make the final call than any of us. I know, Constitution, congress, democratic way, etc. etc.

If you have team A and team B of children arguing who is up to bat next in the playground and they cannot agree, the coach will step in and make the decision for them. Same rule should apply here.

The American people elected Obama and now the GOP wants to tie his hands from doing the peoples work.:throwtomatoes:

Illinois Governors. Chicago Mayors have much more power.




.

??
 

Looks like cuts to Medicare, Social Security and VA benefits are coming! Thank You Tea Party!!:mad: :mad:

Debt Crisis
 

I really don't know why all Citizens are complaining about the Government's
shennanigans now !!!!
Everytime a Politician visits the Villages or some Mall or Town, everyone trips over each other in order to kiss the Politician !!!!
And months later everyone complains about the Politician !!!!!
Please, everyone wake up to reality !!!!!!!

Congress has passed two bills that would resolve this issue. Repeal of "Obama care" and "Cut, Cap and Balance" and the Senate will not even vote on them. All they do is throw stones at them and refuse to even vote them up or down. They refuse to go on record for anything. And where is the Senate plan? Zero, none, nada. Where is the presidents plan? Again none. Maybe both those bills are horrible, so modify them (the senate has that power), create there own, (the senate can get that sponsored in congress) but take a vote on them. Senators do something. Everyone wants to blame someone else vs come up with a solution.

Even if you hate both those solutions and think they are really bad, they are a solution. Right or wrong, congress has done something. The other two branches of the three legged stool have done nothing except take pot shots at those two bills.

I was asked to pass this letter, written by a 95 year old veteran, around to all who might read it. Please keep scrolling to bottom as there are some gaps between paragraphs.
He is highly respected in Hawaii. This was sent to me by a retired Army Colonel. Thanks.
p.s. There is a photo of him along many young servicemen of all colors, races, units but I don't think it will copy and paste..........








This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii
for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.




Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor , allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.

So here goes.

I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.

I can't figure out what country you are the president of.
You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:
" We're no longer a Christian nation"
" America is arrogant" - (Your wife even announced to the world," America is mean- spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching
that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)





I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals."

Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.

I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.

Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.

Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue . You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts , who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.
You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.
And I sure as h ell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle...

Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes
Snopes confirms as true:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/haroldestes.asp


When a 95 year old hero of the "the Greatest Generation" stands up and speaks out like this, I think we owe it to him to send his words to as many Americans as we can.

This is a nice letter from Mr. Estes. Altough I'm not sure what it has to do with the current debt ceiling crisis since it's from 2009.

I tried to copy and paste his photo to no avail.

However, here is the snopes account , along with his photo ...........

Again, don't shoot the messenger. This was sent to me by a retired Army Colonel with whom I've been doing genealogy research over the years.......

I agree with you. An 87 year old "cousin" of mine just sent it to me and asked me to pass it around. He's a proud retired 10th Mountain Division guy from World War II ; we've been working on our genealogy together.

I just read the snopes account as well. SORRY.