What we have here is a condition in which the 52 million people who live in these smallest states, about 20% of the entire population of this country, possess as much power and an equal representation as the states where 5 times more people live. What kind of system to govern such a huge, complex nation like America is that? Is that one where the majority rules, where the power of the people determines the direction of the country; is this an example of how a democracy functions in the most effective manner? The answers are no, no and no.
So we might conclude that the Americans who live in California, Texas and New York probably pay something on the order of 45 times more taxes than those from the three tiny states and, yet, the representation is identical; that is truly absurd, a complete misrepresentation and living proof that this Senate, as currently constituted, is a perfect example of taxation without adequate representation.
This has now become a tenuous, unworkable situation because, based on the Senate rules that allow the blocking and filibustering of legislation, one or more senators from tiny states can exert equal to or more power than senators from the most populous states; that's just plain ridiculous. It's no wonder why this Senate has now become so very dysfunctional, why it remains in a perpetual state of gridlock. If this legislative body's decisions were based on majority rule many of the problems currently facing this nation would no longer exist.
Of course, there are those who would say that such a change in the Senate is unwarranted, that everything is fine just as is and, besides, the same Article I of the Constitution provides for fair and equitable representation of the people, based on states' populations, in the U.S. House of Representatives. That's only partly true and while that may be just fine, what does that have to do with the Senate that is a completely separate entity with separate responsibilities?
The fact of the matter is that when important legislation comes before the Senate what should determine whether it is passed or not? Well, most rational thinking individuals would say that such a decision should be based on the views of the majority of the people of America. In this current Senate that is not happening and that may be one of the main reasons why the majority of Americans in poll after poll indicate that this Congress is not working in their best interests.
So if this situation is as bad as it seems then it would follow that there needs to be something done to determine what is more fair and equitable, i.e., how many senators should each state have, based on its population? Well, it should really take a study group to figure out the best configuration but, in the meantime, here are my suggestions for how this should be done. Here's a link which shows the populations of the 50 states of this country in order of the most to the least populous, which can aid in this analysis.
Proposed Senate Reconstitution
California -- 6 senators
Texas, New York and Florida -- 5
Illinois and Pennsylvania -- 4
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