1) Is it a good idea to not allow ordinary voters the opportunity to decide who their senators will be?
Generally, it is a very good idea to allow voters to pick the people that will represent them. This is one of the most important aspects of the American government, and it has become a model for democracies around the world. Even though there are some people that believe that the whole population should not choose their legislators, believing the general populace to be uninformed and incapable of doing this adequately, liberty and personal freedom are two important values that popular decision upholds. Letting people choose who represents them does not necessarily lead to the best politicians, but it is the best principle that one may uphold in order to rule a country.
Interestingly, even not going to vote can be seen as a decision, and it is something that politicians should be weary of. If people feel that they are not being represented by their government, they may have riots or dissent politically, much like what is currently occurring in the United States of America.
2) How might things be different than now if the legislature chose the senators from Texas instead of your or me?
It is important for the people to choose their legislators because that means that the officials will at least try to keep the population’s best interests in mind. Politicians need to be elected and reelected, so they need to keep their voters happy. If the legislator chose those who would represent Texas, as used to happen before in the United States (Schleicher), this would not necessarily happen, as they would pick those who were in their own best interests. This would mean that people would probably lead less happy lives, as their government would not give them importance. They would put laws into place that would only benefit themselves and leave people behind.
Works Cited
Schleicher, David. “States’ Wrongs: Conservatives’ illogical, inconsistent effort to repeal the 17th Amendment”. Jurisprudence. 27 Feb. 2014. Word document.
