Frankly, I feel that getting the word out IS action. Very, very few stakeholders have any idea what the 17th Amendment is, or did to the structural integrity of the constitution. (Try having a conversation with anyone about the 17th and watch the fog start to form.) When state legislators and governors are shown the demonstrable benefits of a repeal, their actions will help to inform the electorate. State legislators and governors lost the most influence as a result of the 17th, and they have the most to gain from repeal. With a repeal of the 17th, the resulting increase in state power is the electorate's gain in freedom from authoritarian national government. So, those who care about federalism should educate their state legislators and governors. That is action that has impact.

The point is this: The 17th did STRUCTURAL damage to the constitution, and only a structural fix will do. Better politicians, better laws, and better behavior demanded by Tea Party participants are only temporary fixes to what are actually just symptoms. The cause of the symptoms (overspending, overreach) is the constitution itself as amended by the 17th. The state governments must be at the forefront of fixing the problem they created.

http://www.restorefederalism.org

After studying this issue for some time, I believe that numerous national policies will change as a direct result of the 17th Amendment's repeal. The tax structure in America is clearly one of them. I don't have strong feelings about the 16th, but if it is to be repealed, I would like to see that question addressed in a true federal system - one in which the state governments have a voice in the matter.

My wish for America is that we return to the framer's understanding of "federalism" by repealing the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Repealing the 17th would restore essential meaning to the term "separation of powers" and create a political - not judicial - venue for resolving our differences in which the mob of the moment does not rule. Repealing the 17th would give state governments a strong and competing voice in the national government, would significantly reduce the power of special interest groups, eliminate unfunded mandates, and focus the citizen's attention on smaller and more responsive governments (state, county and city). The violence done to the structure of the constitution by the 17th Amendment is plainly visible in runaway spending and expanding national government scope. Better politicians and better laws will not solve these problems, as only a structural fix for structural damage will do. America's path is ordained by the amended constitution that requires financial ruin and eventual collapse. Therefore, my wish for America is federalism. For more information, visit The Campaign to Restore Federalism: <a href="http://www.restorefederalism.org" target="_blank">http://www.restorefederalism.org