Senator Ted Cruz's recently received a hero's welcome when he returned home to Texas following his efforts to defund Obamacare. For weeks he has been roundly criticized by Democrats, the mainstream media, and many establishment Republicans. Despite the mounting pressure and criticism, he has repeatedly stated that one of the reasons the people in Texas elected him was to defund Obamacare. That is exactly what he is going to try to accomplish.
Put Cruz's position in perspective: Under Article I, Section 3 of the United States Constitution, two senators from each state were elected by the legislature of each state. Under this scenario, senators represented the states essentially as ambassadors to the federal government while members of the House represented the local voters in their district. In 1913, Progressives called for the election of senators by voters in each state; thus the Seventeenth Amendment was born!
Why was this a watershed moment in our country's history? Because what Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution accomplished was to provide state governments with a means to influence congressional lawmaking without taking away the federal government's enumerated powers. The states appointment of senators was another check and balance against the centralized federal government. Instead of our senators conferring with their respective legislatures for guidance and advice on potential votes, they are beholden to Washington lobbyists, consultants, donors and advocacy groups. Simply put, United States Senators are not concerned with the sovereignty of states from which they come because "the states" have very little influence over them. Consider the Obamacare vote: how many Democrat Senators would have voted for this monstrosity if their state legislature could recall them at any time?
Fast-forward to today and ask yourself what means of influence the states currently have over the federal government? The answer is "very little if any" as Washington controls the purse-strings - gasoline tax for highway improvements runs through D.C., Washington distributes money to the states for education spending and welfare programs. Most states are beholden to the federal government for their economic existence.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ted-cruz-returns-to-texas-as-a-hero-who-is-reshaping-the-state-republican-party/2013/10/23/449c5a76-3b6a-11e3-a94f-b58017bfee6c_story.html
The Lost Art of Critical Thinking and Common Sense in Politics and Public Policy
