High-jacking The Senate
When the 17th Amendment was declared passed, a transfer of power occurred in all state legislatures. The states lost their right to appoint their own senators as prescribed in the original language and intent of Article I, Section 2, wherein;
"The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators, chosen by the legislatures thereof,.."
It's clear that this is when the states lost their ability to govern themselves. The states could no longer prevent the abuse of power that had, by virtue of this amendment, been delegated to an oligarchy of 100 career politicians who would then pretend to represent the nation as a whole, rather than truly represent their individual states and be accountable to their state legislature.
The 41 states that have ratified the amendment have voluntarily given up their seats in the senate, but the 7 states which have not ratified the amendment have not given their consent and are being deprived of their representation in the senate without their consent. This is a flagrant violation of Article V, wherein;
"...no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived it's equal Suffrage in the Senate."
Therefore the states have been stripped of their right to be represented in the U.S. Senate.
This amendment stripped the states of their sovereignty and made it possible for rich and powerful bankers and Wall Street Corporations to seize control of Congress.
A Federal government is one where the powers are shared between the state and national government. Today, virtually all of the power is in the hands of the central government and the states have been reduced to playing servant to them.
Replies
I submit that the states have been supplanted by the States--sub corps of the Federal govt. Such event taking place during the 'reconstruction' of the South after the Civil war. There is a pretense of the States being sovereign, however, this is just fodder to keep the sheep believing that the term State is synonymous with state. The people have been dumbed down and fail to recognize they have been captured by use of syntax.
Interesting way to put it.
"...captured by the use of syntax."
Nice! simple