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In reply to the discussion: Why are folks more concerned about guns than the loss of lives! [View all]spin
(17,493 posts)38. The US senate was not designed to support the will of the people. ...
The framers of the Constitution created a bicameral Congress primarily as a compromise between those who felt that each state, since it was sovereign, should be equally represented, and those who felt the legislature must directly represent the people, as the House of Commons did in Britain. There was also a desire to have two Houses that could act as an internal check on each other. One was intended to be a "People's House" directly elected by the people, and with short terms obliging the representatives to remain close to their constituents. The other was intended to represent the states to such extent as they retained their sovereignty except for the powers expressly delegated to the national government. The Senate was thus not intended to represent the people of the United States equally. The Constitution provides that the approval of both chambers is necessary for the passage of legislation.[13]...emphasis added
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate
Recently I have often heard that senators from the states with low populations that strongly support gun rights should vote their conscience and bow to the will of the majority of people nationwide for the good of the nation.
The people in states like Montana elected their senators to strongly support gun rights and those senators may honestly believe that legislation like the assault weapons ban is foolish and ill conceived.
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But voting for it and passing it into law means they have to provide infrastructure for it.
geckosfeet
Apr 2013
#32
I agree about the background checks. But Newtown has NOTHING to do with that.
Honeycombe8
Apr 2013
#33
If you "do not get it," it may be because you are offering a false choice and disregarding the
AnotherMcIntosh
Apr 2013
#34