OPINION:
Because the Senate no longer seems to do what it was created to do, “we the people” might consider eliminating it.
The Senate was created so the states would have their representation in the government and so the government would never be more powerful than the states. Since the passage of the 17th Amendment, the people are represented in both the House of Representatives and the Senate so they, not the states, are already approving treaties and presidential appointments. All of that could be done in the House.
Look at the incompetence of the Senate. It has not passed a budget in three years, nor did it take any action on a bill sent to it in September to avoid going over the “fiscal cliff.” Perhaps we should consider the billions of dollars that would be saved by abolishing the Senate and extending the term of our representatives to four years, with their elections coinciding with the presidential election.
The only common-sense thing to do at this point seems to be to abolish the Senate or repeal the 17th Amendment and restore the states’ representation in our government.
JAMES HONTZ
Riverdale
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